High levels of vitamin D in the middle-age and the older people can reduce their chances of developing heart disease or diabetes by 43%, according to researchers at the University of Warwick.

A team of researchers at Warwick Medical School carried out a systematic literature review of studies examining vitamin D and cardiometabolic disorders. Cardiometabolic disorders include cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in some foods and is also produced when ultraviolet rays from sunlight strike the skin and trigger vitamin D synthesis. vitamin D can also be found in tuna, salmon milk, eggs, mackerel, sardines, and in some breakfast cereals. It is also available as a dietary supplement.

Researchers looked at 28 studies including 99,745 participants across a variety of ethnic groups including men and women.

These studies were published between 1990 and 2009 with the bulk being published between 2004 and 2009. Half of them were conducted in the US, eight were European, two studies were from Iran, three from Australasia and one from India.

The studies revealed a significant association between high levels of vitamin D and a decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (33 percent compared to low levels of vitamin D), type 2 diabetes (55 percent reduction) and metabolic syndrome (51 percent reduction).

The literature review was led by Johanna Parker and Oscar Franco, assistant professor in public health at Warwick.

“We found that high levels of vitamin D among middle age and elderly populations are associated with a substantial decrease in cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, ” said Franco, according to a Warwick release.

‘Targeting vitamin D deficiency in adult populations could potentially slow the current epidemics of cardiometabolic disorders,’ he concluded.

So, boost your D with safe sun exposure, or supplement your diet with 1,000 IUs of vitamin D3 a day. And be sure to eat a variety of foods rich in vitamin D.