Study: Getting enough vitamin D every day helps reduce diabetes and heart disease risk

Getting your daily dose of vitamin D, the “sunshine vitamin,” can do more than boost your mood. According to a study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, vitamin D from natural light can also protect you from health problems such as diabetes and heart disease.

After conducting the study, researchers from the University of South Australia Cancer Research Institute reported that individuals who receive the recommended amount of vitamin D are “less likely to show markers of inflammation in blood tests.”

Inflammation and dietary sources of vitamin D

Inflammation is a normal part of your body’s immune system and other processes. However, too much inflammation can increase your risk of developing chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

There are several ways to get a daily dose of vitamin D. Here are some dietary sources of vitamin D:

• Beef liver
• Cheese
• Egg yolks
• Fatty fish (e.g, salmon, mackerel and tuna)
• Fortified cereals and juices
• Fortified milk
• Mushrooms

Fish products are full of vitamin D. Your body can also turn sunlight into vitamin D, and spending some time outdoors is the easiest way to get your required intake.

Addressing vitamin D deficiency helps reduce chronic inflammation

For the study, the research team analyzed data from the U.K. Biobank, a pool of data from thousands of UK residents. The study included data from 294,970 participants.

The researchers compared levels of vitamin D and C-reactive proteins th