Researchers using the latest data from the government’s national health survey have discovered a link between low levels of vitamin D and increased risk of high blood pressure, hyperglycemia and metabolic syndrome in young adults.

In the study, researchers analyzed adolescents aged 12 to 19 years old who participated in the nationally representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2001 and 2004.

After adjusting for variables, researchers found the adolescents with the lowest levels of vitamin D were more than twice as likely to have high blood pressure, two-and-a-half times likely to have high blood sugar and almost four times as likely to have metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of symptoms including cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk factors such as elevated waist circumference, high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ("good cholesterol") and high fasting glucose levels.

The study highlights the association between high levels of vitamin D and lower risk of heart disease, researchers said.

Researchers also found racial disparities in vitamin D levels, with whites having twice as much vitamin D intake as blacks.