Findings from a latest study have revealed that if Canadian people increase their vitamin D intake to the daily recommended level, it would reduce the number of annual deaths by about 37,000. Moreover, the whole health-care system of the country would also save $14.4 billion in the process.

Researchers at the University of Alberta, Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center in San Francisco and University of Saskatchewan examined the vitamin D deficiency problem in Canada. With the completion of their research, they established that only 10% of Canadians were receiving the required daily dose of the "sunlight vitamin".

Lead author William Grant, from the Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center, was quoted as saying on Tuesday, "The result of this study strongly suggests the personal and economic burden of disease in Canada could be significantly reduced if optimal vitamin D levels are increased".

The study, in regards to their daily vitamin D intake, rated 5% of the total Canadian population as "severely deficient".

A lack of vitamin D can lead to problems like cancer, heart disease, birth defects and multiple sclerosis.

The details of the research have been recently published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research.