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HowToPreventHeartDisease.com |
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How Is Vitamin D Related To Hypertension and Heart Disease? Getting sufficient Vitamin D is paramount because it is an important nutrient that handles several of the body’s metabolic actions. Vitamin D works with parathyroid hormone to set the amount of calcium and phosphorus in the blood; encourages the formation of bone tissue; stimulates the production of cells in the immune system; regulates insulin levels and helps diabetes management; supports lung function and cardiovascular health; and influences the expression of genes involved in cancer development. Vitamin D is produced in the deep layers of the skin using energy from sunlight, and has a nickname called “sunshine vitamin”. While the body can make Vitamin D, people who have a darker skin tone, who are overweight, who are older, and who cover up when they are in the sun, do not make enough Vitamin D from the sun. Hence, a significant portion of it needed by the body does come from the food like eggs, milk, yogurt, tuna, salmon, cereal and orange juice, or supplements. Since the mid-1980s, a growing number of researches has suggested that Vitamin D may play a role in blood pressure regulation and heart health. In a study published online June 25, 2014 in ‘The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology’, researchers suggested that low levels of Vitamin D may be a cause of hypertension (high blood pressure). After analyzing genetic data from more than 146,500 people of European descent in Europe and North America, it was found that for each 10 percent increase in Vitamin D levels, there was an 8 percent decrease in the risk of developing hypertension.
Human body can sometimes produce too many cells in
the muscle that lines the blood vessels. A build-up of these cells can lead to
plaque that makes it difficult for blood to travel throughout the body.
Scientists have found Vitamin D receptors on these cells, and Vitamin D can bind
to these receptors. This may lower the risk of cells building up in the blood
vessels. Vitamin D may help reduce the activity of the system that controls the
blood pressure, too. This system is called the renin-angiotensin system. When
this system is overactive, blood pressure can increase. But researchers are
still not sure what causes the blood pressure system to become overactive and
yet to find out how Vitamin D can help control its activity.
The heart is basically a large muscle, it has receptors for Vitamin D, too. Hence, there is no surprise that studies had found Vitamin D deficiency may be linked to heart disease. A study conducted by researchers from the Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health found that men who were deficient in Vitamin D were twice as likely to have a heart attack as men who had adequate levels of Vitamin D. Their findings were published in journal ‘JAMA Internal Medicine’ on June 9, 2008. Another study published in ‘The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism’ in October 2008 indicated that low levels of Vitamin D are associated with prevalent myocardial dysfunction, deaths due to heart failure, and sudden cardiac death. Recent findings revealed on November 9, 2015 by researchers from Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City indicated that Vitamin D deficiency is linked to coronary artery disease, heart attacks, and strokes. Nevertheless, not all findings show lower blood pressure after taking Vitamin D. For instance, a small study of 159 old patients that was published August 12, 2018 in journal ‘JAMA Internal Medicine’ reported that Vitamin D supplementation did not lower blood pressure in older patients with high blood pressure. In addition to hypertension and heart disease, deficiency in Vitamin D has been linked to breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, depression, weight gain, and other illnesses. While most studies reveal that people with higher levels of Vitamin D have a lower risk of these illnesses, they do not actually prove that Vitamin D deficiency can cause them, or that taking Vitamin D supplements would lower the risk.
More trials are, therefore, needed to confirm
whether Vitamin D may help lower blood pressure, reduce risk of hypertension and
heart disease. Date: June 27, 2019
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