Vitamin D Deficiency Leads to Heart Disease...
8 June 2024
- Vitamin D deficiency has traditionally been linked to muscle and bone weakness. However, researchers have accumulated evidence linking deficiency of active vitamin D in the bloodstream to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
- This represents a new risk factor added to high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, as well as major heart and arterial conditions such as strokes and congestive heart failure, according to a review of previous research to be published soon in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
- The review provided practical recommendations for population screening and treatment of low active vitamin D levels, especially for those at risk such as heart disease or diabetes patients.
- Preventive cardiology experts at the Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City state that vitamin D deficiency is a newly identified risk factor for heart disease that should be screened for and addressed, as deficiency is easily assessed and vitamin supplements are safe and inexpensive.
- It is estimated that half of adults and about one-third of children and adolescents in America have active vitamin D deficiency. This deficiency activates the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, which raises blood pressure, thereby predisposing patients to hypertension, heart and vascular stiffness, and increased thickness.
- Vitamin D deficiency also alters hormone levels and immune function, increasing the risk of diabetes, a major contributor to cardiovascular disease.
- Data from the Framingham Heart Study indicates that patients with vitamin D levels below 15 ng/mL are twice as likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke within five years compared to those with higher levels.
- However, risks were equal when calculations were limited to traditional factors. Therefore, restoring normal vitamin levels is necessary to maintain musculoskeletal health and improve heart health and its prospects.
- Large-scale, randomized, controlled trials are needed to determine whether vitamin D supplements actually reduce future cardiovascular events and deaths.
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