Evidence has been building that low levels of vitamin D may increase the risk of heart disease. But until now, scientists have not known whether supplements of this vitamin could have a beneficial effect. Researchers at the University of Kansas analyzed data from more than 10,000 people. About 70 percent of them were low in vitamin D, with less than 30 nanograms per milliliter. People who were deficient in this nutrient were twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes and 40 percent more likely to have hypertension. Almost a third suffered from a heart condition called cardiomyopathy. Most significant, those deficient in vitamin D were three times more likely to have died for any reason during the study.
There was one surprising bright spot, however. People who took vitamin D supplements reduced their risk of death during the study by about 60 percent, far more than the investigators anticipated. Although this kind of study is not the gold standard of a randomized, double-blind experiment, it does provide more evidence that vitamin D plays a crucial role in heart health.
[American Journal of Cardiology, online, Nov. 10, 2011]
