The state of Utah, in Western United States, was chosen by heart disease researchers as a focus area to study the link between vitamin D and strokes. Utah was selected because the population largely consists of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who abstain from tobacco and alcohol, as part of the Latter-day Saints’ health code, known as the ‘Word of Wisdom.’ The West Australian newspaper reported today that "a state with low usage of tobacco and alcohol ‘allows them [researchers] to focus the study on vitamin D's effects on the cardiovascular system."
