The vast majority of studies reported inverse associations between 25(OH)D concentration and all-cause mortality .
This association appeared to be non-linear , with progressively lower mortality with increasing 25(OH)D up to a point , beyond which there was no further decrease .
There is moderate evidence that vitamin D status is inversely associated with cancer mortality and death due to respiratory diseases , while for cardiovascular mortality , there is weak evidence of an association in observational studies , which is not supported by the data from intervention or Mendelian r and omization studies .
Epidemiological evidence suggests that vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased mortality , but it is unclear whether this is explained by reverse causation , and if there are specific causes of death for which vitamin D might be important .
25-Hydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone, and mortality in black and white older adults: the health ABC study.
CONTEXT Previous 25-hydroxyvitamin D [ 25(OH)D ] and mortality studies have included mostly individuals of European descent . Whether the relationship is similar in Blacks and to what extent differences in 25(OH)D explain racial disparities in mortality is unclear . OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to examine the relationship between 25(OH)D , PTH , and mortality in Black and white community-dwelling older adults over 8.5 yr of follow-up . DESIGN AND SETTING Health ABC is a prospect i ve cohort study conducted in Memphis , TN , and Pittsburgh , PA . PARTICIPANTS Well-functioning Blacks and whites aged 71 - 80 yr with measured 25(OH)D and PTH ( n = 2638 ; 49 % male , 39 % Black ) were included in the study . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Multivariate-adjusted proportional hazards models estimated the hazard ratios ( HR ) for all-cause , cardiovascular , cancer , and noncancer , noncardiovascular mortality ( n = 691 deaths ) . RESULTS Mean 25(OH)D concentrations were higher in whites than in Blacks [ mean ( sd ) : 29.0 ( 9.9 ) and 20.8 ( 8.7 ) ng/ml , respectively ; P < 0.001 ] . Serum 25(OH)D by race interactions were not significant , however . Lower 25(OH)D concentrations were associated with higher mortality in Blacks and whites combined [ HR ( 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] 2.27 ( 1.59 - 3.24 ) , 1.48 ( 1.20 - 1.84 ) , and 1.25 ( 1.02 - 1.52 ) for < 10 , 10 to < 20 , and 20 to < 30 vs. ≥30 ng/ml ] . In the multivariate model without 25(OH)D , Blacks had 22 % higher mortality than whites [ HR ( 95 % CI ) 1.22 ( 1.01 , 1.48 ) ] ; after including 25(OH)D in the model , the association was attenuated [ 1.09 ( 0.90 - 1.33 ) ] . The mortality population attributable risks ( 95 % CI ) for 25(OH)D concentrations less than 20 ng/ml and less than 30 ng/ml in Blacks were 16.4 % ( 3.1 - 26.6 % ) and 37.7 % ( 11.6 - 55.1 % ) and in whites were 8.9 % ( 3.9 - 12.7 % ) and 11.1 % ( -2.7 to 22.0 % ) , respectively . PTH was also associated with mortality [ HR ( 95 % CI ) 1.80 ( 1.33 - 2.43 ) for ≥70 vs. < 23 pg/ml ] . CONCLUSIONS Low 25(OH)D and high PTH concentrations were associated with increased mortality  in Black and white community-dwelling older adults . Because 25(OH)D concentrations were much lower in Blacks , the potential impact of remediating low 25(OH)D concentrations was greater in Blacks than whites
The vast majority of studies reported inverse associations between 25(OH)D concentration and all-cause mortality .
This association appeared to be non-linear , with progressively lower mortality with increasing 25(OH)D up to a point , beyond which there was no further decrease .
There is moderate evidence that vitamin D status is inversely associated with cancer mortality and death due to respiratory diseases , while for cardiovascular mortality , there is weak evidence of an association in observational studies , which is not supported by the data from intervention or Mendelian r and omization studies .
Epidemiological evidence suggests that vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased mortality , but it is unclear whether this is explained by reverse causation , and if there are specific causes of death for which vitamin D might be important .