Role of vitamin D in cardiovascular health
Am J Cardiol. 2010 Sep 15;106(6):798-805.
Reddy Vanga S, Good M, Howard PA, Vacek JL.
Mid America Cardiology, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center and Hospital, Kansas City, Kansas, USA.
Observational studies strongly associate vitamin D deficiency with a variety of cardiovascular diseases beyond defects in bone and calcium metabolism. Vitamin D has multiple mechanisms that potentially may affect cardiovascular health. Because vitamin D deficiency is common, therapies directed at the replacement of vitamin D may be beneficial. To date however, studies evaluating vitamin D supplementation are few and have not consistently shown benefit. It is possible that the lack of benefit in these studies may have arisen from suboptimal levels of vitamin D supplementation or other unknown factors. Nevertheless, the growing body of observational data and consistent findings of relatively high rates of low vitamin D serum levels warrant further well-designed studies to investigate the relation between vitamin D and cardiovascular health. In conclusion, vitamin D is now recognized as important for cardiovascular health and its deficiency as a potential risk factor for several cardiovascular disease processes. PMID: 20816120