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Vitamin D and cardiovascular disease

Edward Giovannucci1

  • 1Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA. egiovann@hsph.harvard.edu

Current Atherosclerosis Reports
|October 27, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Low vitamin D levels increase cardiovascular disease risk. Maintaining adequate vitamin D (25-hydroxy-vitamin D) may be crucial for heart health, with optimal levels potentially above 30 ng/mL.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Endocrinology
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • Emerging evidence links deficient vitamin D status to increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.
  • The specific cardiovascular functions regulated by vitamin D are under investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the relationship between vitamin D status and cardiovascular disease risk.
  • To elucidate potential mechanisms by which vitamin D influences cardiovascular health.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent studies on vitamin D and cardiovascular outcomes.
  • Analysis of potential physiological pathways affected by vitamin D, including blood pressure regulation, myocardial function, and inflammation.

Main Results:

  • Vitamin D deficiency is associated with higher risks of both ischemic and nonischemic cardiovascular diseases.
  • Key mechanisms include influence on the renin-angiotensin system, parathyroid hormone, myocardial function, inflammation, and vascular calcification.
  • Elevated cardiovascular risk is noted at 25-hydroxy-vitamin D levels below 10-15 ng/mL; optimal levels may be ≥30 ng/mL.

Conclusions:

  • Vitamin D plays a potentially significant role in cardiovascular health.
  • Further research, including randomized controlled trials, is needed to confirm these findings and establish optimal vitamin D supplementation strategies for CVD prevention.

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