A review of studies by British researchers shows that vitamin D could reduce heart disease and diabetes.

Middle-aged and elderly people with high levels of vitamin D reduced their chances of developing cardiometabolic disorders such as heart disease or diabetes by 43 percent, found researchers at Warwick Medical School in Coventry, England.

Dr. Oscar Franco, co-leader of the study said in a statement "Targeting vitamin D deficiency in adult populations could potentially slow the current epidemics of cardiometabolic disorders."

28 studies involving 99,745 men and women across a variety of ethnic groups were looked at by Franco, Johanna Parker and colleagues. They found high levels of vitamin D versus low levels reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease by 33 percent, the risk of type 2 diabetes by 55 percent and of metabolic syndrome by 51 percent.

Naturally present in some foods such as salmon, tuna and mackerel, Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that may be taken as a supplement also. Ultraviolet rays from sunlight can also trigger vitamin D synthesis when strike the skin. (With Input from Agencies)