CHILDREN lacking a key vitamin may be at higher risk of heart disease later in life, scientists say.

It’s been estimated that almost 20 per cent of children in the UK and one in six adults don’t have enough vitamin D in their body.

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The nutrient – which can be derived through sun exposure and diet – is one of many vitamins the body needs to stay healthy, as it helps maintain bones, teeth and muscles.

Severe vitamin D deficiency in children could lead to bone deformities called rickets.

As for adults, they can be struck with bone pain and muscle weakness, as well as fatigue and mood changes.

Now a new study published to the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology suggests that low vitamin D levels in children could be linked to the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in adulthood.

Atherosclerosis is when the arteries get clogged up and narrowed due to a buildup of fatty plaques in the arteries.

It’s a potentially serious condition as it’s the cause of most heart attacks and strokes, according to the British Heart Foundation.

Researchers suggested their findings may pave the way for identifying early risk factors for heart disease.

Previous studies on adults have shown that low vitamin D levels could be linked to an increased risk of heart disease.

The new study was conducted by scientists at Turku University Hospital and the University of Turku in Finland, who’d previously found that low vitamin D levels in childhood was linked to signs of atherosclerosis adulthood.

Due to this, vitamin D deficiencies could increase the risk of heart disease, the researchers said.

But they set out to examine whether low vitamin D levels during childhood could predict someone’s likelihood of suffering a heart attack or stroke in later life.

Researchers used data from from 3,516 who participated in the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study.

Using frozen samples collected in 1980, when participants were between three and 18 years old, they measured levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

This is the primary circulating form of vitamin D and considered to be the most reliable measure of overall vitamin D levels.

On average, children had a vitamin D level of 51.3 nmol/L.

Researchers also had access to data on participants’ body mass index (BMI), levels of fat in the blood, blood pressure, dietary habits, socioeconomic status, physical activity levels and smoking habits.

They were able to identify whether the children eventually suffered a cardiovascular events by going through national health registries.

A total of 95 participants – just under 3 per cent – experienced at least one atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease event, usually around the age of 47.

Researchers also sought to find out if certain vitamin D concentrations — 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, and 43 nmol/L — were more strongly linked to heart disease.

Researchers found that low levels of vitamin D during childhood were linked to a higher risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease events in adulthood.

This was especially the case for children who with vitamin D levels lower than 37 nmol/L.

For example, children with vitamin D levels below 35 nmol/L had more than double the risk of heart disease compared to those with higher levels.

Researchers noted that – as their study was observational – they couldn’t show that low vitamin D levels directly cause cardiovascular events in later life, only that the two are linked.

But they said their findings support current recommendations for maintaining vitamin D levels in children.

The NHS recommends that babies and children between the ages of one and four should take a daily vitamin D supplement throughout the year.

It’s also advised that older children and adults take supplements during the autumn and winter, when we can’t make enough vitamin D from sunlight.