London, Sep 12: Vitamin D, which the body gets from some foods and sunlight, could help people live longer, latest research has found.

Vitamin D is found in animal fats such as butter, eggs, liver, oily fish (kippers, mackerel, sardines and tuna), margarine, full-fat dairy products and evaporated or malted milk. Sunshine is also a significant source of vitamin D.

Vitamin D deficiency is known to cause several health disorders. It can also increase the risk of cancer.

The new review analysed the results of 18 vitamin D studies on 57,000 adults in US, Britain and Europe that included mortality rates and found that people who took vitamin D supplements daily had significant health benefits, reported the health portal WebMD.

Most of the participants were frail elders with low blood levels of vitamin D. Participants were typically assigned to take vitamin D supplements or a placebo containing no vitamin D. Each study was designed differently, but on average, participants were followed for 5.7 years. During that time, 4,777 participants died of any cause.

People taking vitamin D were seven percent less likely to die during the studies. The precise reason for their lower death rate isn't clear, and the reviewers aren't recommending a specific vitamin D dose.

The new review, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, comes at a time when vitamin D is a hot topic linked to benefits including lower risk of some cancers and fewer falls for elders. (With Inputs from ANI)