In a world first, genetic research from the University of South Australia (UniSA) has demonstrated a direct link between low levels of vitamin D and high levels of inflammation, a finding which will help identify people at higher risk of chronic illnesses associated with inflammation.
While inflammation is critical to the body’s healing process, if persistent, it can contribute to a range of disorders, including heart disease, type-2 diabetes and autoimmune diseases.
Analysing the genetic data of 294, 970 participants in the UK Biobank—a large-scale biomedical database and research resource that contains detailed genetic and health information from around 500,000 UK residents—the study demonstrated the link between vitamin D and C-reactive protein levels, a biomarker of inflammation….