Several recent studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency is a common problem with many adverse health effects, including increased risk of high blood pressure, heart failure, and ischemic heart disease. Photo Credit: AFPJuly 10, 2009, (Sawf News) - Several recent studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency is a common problem with many adverse health effects, including increased risk of high blood pressure, heart failure, and ischemic heart disease.
In patients who already have heart disease, low vitamin D may increase the risk of high blood pressure or sudden death, according to Suzanne Judd, MPH, PhD, of University of Alabama at Birmingham and Dr. Vin Tangpricha of Emory University.
The new data on nutrition and heart disease were the topic of a recent symposium and are summarized in the July issue of The American Journal of the Medical Sciences (AJMS), official journal of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation (SSCI).
"The prospect that macro- and micronutrients may play an important role in the appearance of diseases of the cardiovasculature and their progressive nature is both intriguing and provocative," according to the article’s preface by Dr. Karl T. Weber.
Vitamin D deficiency may also help to explain the apparent relationship between osteoporosis-related fractures and heart failure, according to Dr. Syed H. Raza and colleagues. Osteoporosis and heart failure are both common conditions in older adults and share several risk factors—including low vitamin D. Pending further research to clarify this relationship, patients with heart failure need attention to their risks of osteoporosis and fractures.
So far, however, there is very little information on whether taking vitamin D supplements can avoid or reduce these risks. Rebecca B. Costello, PhD, of the National Institutes of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements outlines federal research initiatives to understand the effects of vitamin D on health. She urges rigorous scientific studies to clarify the relationship between vitamin D and cardiovascular disease, as well as other chronic diseases.
Patients with heart failure—especially African Americans—are prone to an imbalance of several nutrients, according to a presentation by Dr. German Kamalov and colleagues. The imbalance is accompanied by activation of certain hormones, leading to inflammation and wasting of soft tissues and bone. The authors discuss approaches to recognizing this nutritional imbalance, and suggest that a "polynutrient supplement" including calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, and vitamins D, B12, and B1 might play a role in heart failure management.
Despite the tantalizing new evidence, "The role of nutrition in the causation, prevention, and treatment of cardiovascular diseases is largely unexplored," Dr. Weber concludes. "Investigator-initiated, hypothesis-driven research conducted in a mode of discovery by a multidisciplinary team of basic and clinical scientists will undoubtedly open new frontiers and pave the way by identifying simple remedies that could advance the practice of medicine."
In a first of its kind a large, $20 million government-funded study will explore whether vitamin D and fish oil lower the risk of cancer, heart disease or stroke in healthy individuals, reports the Boston Globe. The study five year long study will enroll 20,000 healthy older adults with 25% of the participants enrolled to be African-American.
Our skin manufactures vitamin D when exposed to sunlight but because of the increased risk of skin cancer and wrinkles the American Academy of Dermatology recommends sun protection by using SPF 15 and above sunscreen. Sunscreen and clothing will block vitamin D production by 99%.
Food sources of vitamin D include fatty fish like salmon and sardines as well as fortified milk and cereals. But it is hard to get enough vitamin D from diet alone. An 8 ounce glass of milk only provides 100 International Units (IU) of vitamin D.
Vitamin D is one vitamin that is as good in supplement form as from natural sources.
American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 400 IU daily for children and teens. There are no absolute recommendations of the supplement for adults as yet. The Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board will provide the revised recommendations by 2010. The Canadian Cancer Society currently recommends 1000 IU for adults during the fall and winter months where the sunshine is low.
The main risk factors for low vitamin D levels include older age, female sex, lower latitudes, winter season, darker skin pigmentation, less sunlight exposure, dietary habits, and the absence of vitamin D fortification in common foods. Further factors include the increase in urbanization, where people tend to live and work indoors, as well as cultural practices that tend towards sun avoidance and the wearing of traditional clothing that covers the skin. Individuals with cystic fibrosis or inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s are part of the high risk group of population.
One should remember that excess dose of vitamin D can be toxic.
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