New research suggests that vitamin D levels should neither be too high or too low.

Scientists at the University of Copenhagen found a correlation between high levels of vitamin D and cardiovascular deaths.

"If your vitamin D level is below 50 or over 100 nanomol per liter, there is a greater connection to deaths. We have looked at what caused the death of patients, and when numbers are above 100, it appears that there is an increased risk of dying from a stroke or a coronary. In other words, levels of vitamin D should not be too low, but neither should they be too high. Levels should be somewhere in between 50 and 100 nanomol per liter, and our study indicates that 70 is the most preferable level," researcher Peter Schwartz states.

In terms of public health, a lack of vitamin D has long been a focal point. Several studies have shown that too low levels can prove detrimental to our health. However, new research from the University of Copenhagen reveals, for the first time, that also too high levels of vitamin D in our blood is connected to an increased risk of dying from a stroke or a coronary.

For the study, researchers collected and analyzed data from nearly 247,600 people. They analyzed their mortality rate over a seven-year period after taking the initial blood sample, and in that time 16,645 patients had died. Furthermore, we have looked at the connection between their deaths and their levels of vitamin D, Schwarz explained.

The findings suggests confirm that there is indeed a correlation between mortality rates and too low levels of vitamin D, but the new thing is that the level of vitamin D can also be too high.

That having too much vitamin D in our blood can be bad for our health has never been proven before, and it may have great influence on our future intake of nutritional supplements.

"These are very important results, because there is such great focus on eating vitamin D. We should use this information to ask ourselves whether or not we should continue to eat vitamins and nutritional supplements as if they were sweets. You shouldn't simply up the dose to feel better. We should only consume such vitamins in close coordination with our GP," Schwartz said.

The findings are detailed in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism.