Half as many heart deaths for those with high levels of vitamin D – meta-analysis Sept 2012

25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Risk of Ischemic Heart Disease, Myocardial Infarction, and Early Death: Population-Based Study and Meta-Analyses of 18 and 17 Studies

Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology – American Heart Association Sept 2012
Peter Brøndum-Jacobsen, Marianne Benn, Gorm B. Jensen, Børge G. Nordestgaard
Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Herlev Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark (P.B.-J., M.B., B.G.N.);
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (P.B.-J., M.B., B.G.N.);
Copenhagen City Heart Study, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark (G.B.J., B.G.N.).
Correspondence to Børge G. Nordestgaard, MD, DMSc, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Herlev Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital, Herlev Ringvej 75, DK-2730 Herlev, Denmark. E-mail Boerge.Nordestgaard at regionh.dk
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Objective—We tested the hypothesis that reduced plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D associates with increased risk of ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, and early death.

Methods and Results—We measured baseline plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D in 10 170 women and men from the Danish general population without vitamin D–fortified food.
During 29 years of follow-up, 3100 persons developed ischemic heart disease, 1625 myocardial infarction, and 6747 died.

Decreasing plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were associated with increasing risk of ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, and early death as a function of seasonally adjusted percentile categories (P for trend, 2×10?5–3×10–53).

Comparing individuals with plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels at the 1st to 4th percentile with individuals with levels at the 50th to 100th percentile, the multivariable adjusted risk was increased by

• 40% (95% CI, 14% – 72%) for ischemic heart disease, by
• 64% (25% – 114%) for myocardial infarction, by
• 57% (38% – 78%) for early death, and by
• 81% (40% – 135%) for fatal ischemic heart disease/myocardial infarction.

In the meta-analyses of 18 and 17 studies, risk of ischemic heart disease and early death were increased by 39% (25% – 54%) and 46% (31% – 64%) for lowest versus highest quartile of 25-hydroxyvitamin D level.

Conclusion—We observed increasing risk of ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, and early death with decreasing plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels.
These findings were substantiated in meta-analyses.

Received February 17, 2012; Accepted July 30, 2012; © 2012 American Heart Association, Inc.
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Comment by Vitamin D Life

This is for people who did not have vitamin D fortified foods
Wonder about vitamin D supplements
Wonder length of delay between the vitamin D measurement and death: months, years, decades?

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