Vitamin Important for Cardiovascular Health

By CP Staff

A new study found that deficiency of a particular vitamin dramatically increases the risk of coronary artery disease, stroke and heart failure. According to the American Heart Association, 1.2 million Americans will have a heart attack this year, 700,000 will have a stroke and 670,000 will be diagnosed with heart failure. In the United States, coronary artery disease is the single leading cause of death while stroke is currently the third leading cause.

In this new study, researchers investigated the relationship between serum vitamin D levels and the development of cardiovascular disease. In this study, 27,686 individuals age 50 years or older with no prior history of cardiovascular disease were evaluated for serum vitamin D levels. The subjects were then categorized into 3 groups based on their serum vitamin D levels: normal (over 30 ng/ml), low (15-30 ng/ml) or very low (less than 15 ng/ml). The subjects in each group were followed for more than a year to evaluate the development of cardiovascular disease and their risk of mortality.

The study found that the subjects with very low levels of vitamin D were 77 percent more likely to die compared to the subjects with normal vitamin D levels. Additionally, the subjects with very low vitamin D levels were 45 percent more likely to develop coronary artery disease, 78 percent more likely to have a stroke and twice as likely to suffer from heart failure compared to the subjects with normal vitamin D levels.

The researchers stated that this study was unique due to the fact that the correlation between low or very low levels of vitamin D levels and cardiovascular disease had not previously been well established. Additionally, they stated that these findings justify randomized treatment trials supplementing vitamin D in individuals with deficient vitamin D levels to determine the effects of the restoration of adequate vitamin D levels on cardiovascular disease.

Reference:

Muhlestein JB, et al. American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009. Orlando, Florida. November 14-18, 2009.