A new study according led by the researchers at the University of Warwick suggested that middle aged and elderly people possessing high levels of vitamin D could decrease their risk of developing heart disease or diabetes by 43%.

Vitamin D, a nutrient that the body makes from sunlight, is also found in fish and fortified milk. 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.

On the other side, the 2008 report in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition posted that over half of all adults and children have less than optimum levels, despite the health potential of vitamin D.

The study is reported to involve 28 studies including 99,745 participants over varied ethnic groups including men and women.

The research revealed a significant link between high levels of vitamin D and a lowered risk of developing cardiovascular disease (33% compared to low levels of vitamin D), type 2 diabetes (55% reduction) and metabolic syndrome (51% reduction).