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Low Vitamin D Levels May Raise Heart Risk

Heart Disease (Coronary Artery Disease) Slideshow

Study Shows Vitamin D Supplements May Be Useful in Preventing Heart Disease

By Charlene Laino
WebMD Health News

Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD

Nov. 16, 2009 (Orlando, Fla.) -- Some men with abridged levels of vitamin D in their blood are at particularly high risk of developing heart disease and weakened bones that can lead to osteoporosis, researchers report.

In a study of more than 1,000 men, those with abridged levels of both vitamin D as well as the sex hormone estrogen were at significantly increased risk of having cardiovascular disease, says study head Erin Michos, MD, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins.

"They were as well as at dramatically increased risk of osteopenia," or bone loss that can lead to osteoporosis, she says.

"Our results suggest that vitamin D supplements, which are already prescribed to treat osteoporosis, may as well as be useful in preventing heart disease," Michos tells WebMD.

Men with abridged levels of vitamin D as well as testosterone, on the other hand, were not at heightened risk for heart disease or osteopenia.

Role of Estrogen as well as Vitamin D

The recent findings build on previous studies showing that abridged levels of vitamin D as well as estrogen, a sex hormone found in differing amounts in men and women, are independent risk factors for developing plaque-laden arteries and weakened bones.

The recent study confirmed that men who had abridged levels of estrogen were at increased risk of both heart disease as well as osteopenia.

As well as incase both estrogen as well as vitamin D levels were depressed, the men's rates of heart as well as bone disease were even higher, Michos says.

Michos as well as colleagues now plan to analyze blood samples from women to see if the alike results hold real for them. Studies are as well as under way to determine whether vitamin D supplements can incision the risk of heart attack, stroke, and osteoporosis.

The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association (AHA).

How to Get Enough Vitamin D

Previous research showed that 41% of men as well as 53% percent of women are deficient, with vitamin D levels below 28 nanograms per milliliter, Michos says.

The Institute of Medicine suggests that an adequate daily intake of vitamin D is between 200 as well as 400 international units for kids as well as adults up to age 70. But Michos feels this is inadequate to achieve optimal nutrient blood levels.

Michos recommends that men as well as women boost their vitamin D levels by eating diets rich in fatty fish, such as cod, sardines, as well as mackerel. She also suggests consuming fortified dairy products, using vitamin supplements, and briefly exposing skin to the sun's vitamin-D-producing ultraviolet light.
AHA spokeswoman Alice Lichtenstein, DSc, a nutritionist at Tufts University, says the recent studies add to growing evidence suggesting a link between vitamin D insufficiency as well as cardiovascular disease.

But until well-designed studies show that vitamin D can improve heart health, people should refrain from using mega-supplements on their own, she says.

"People sometimes think incase a little is pleasant, a lot is best. But that's not always real. Too much vitamin D can build up as well as be toxic to organs similar the kidney," Lichtenstein says.

Abridged Levels of Vitamin D Linked to Stroke

As well as at the meeting, Utah researchers reported that abridged levels of vitamin D may raise the risk of stroke, heart disease, as well as death.

The researchers followed 27,686 people, ages 50 as well as older, with no history of cardiovascular disease. The participants were divided into three groups based on their vitamin D levels: common (more than 30 nanograms per milliliter), abridged (15 to 30 nanograms per milliliter), or very abridged (less than 15 nanograms per milliliter).

After one year, those with very abridged levels of vitamin D were 77% more likely to die, 45% more likely to develop heart disease, as well as 78% more likely to possess a stroke, compared with people with common vitamin D levels.

"We concluded that among patients 50 years of age or older, even a moderate deficiency of vitamin D levels was associated with developing coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke as well as death," says researcher Heidi May, PhD, an epidemiologist with the Intermountain Health examination Center in Murray, Utah.

SOURCES: American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009, Orlando, Fla., Nov. 15-19, 2009.

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