Arterial stiffness and vitamin D levels: the Baltimore longitudinal study of aging

The importance of vitamin D for bone health has long been acknowledged. Recent evidence suggests that vitamin D can also play a role in reducing the risk of several other diseases, including cardiovascular disease.

The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH D) is an independent cross-sectional correlate of central arterial stiffness in a normative aging study population.

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis.

We studied 1228 healthy volunteers (50% males; age, 70±12 yr) of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.

We measured carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) and 25-OH D levels.

We found a significant inverse association between PWV and 25-OH D levels (adjusted r2=0.27; β=-0.43; P=0.001). After adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, season of blood draw, estimated glomerular filtration rate, physical activity level, cardiovascular risk factors score (smoking, visceral obesity, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and diabetes), calcium/vitamin D supplementation, serum calcium, and PTH levels, the association between PWV and 25-OH D levels was only slightly reduced and remained statistically significant (adjusted r2=0.34; β=-0.34; P=0.04).

Vitamin D levels are inversely associated with increased arterial stiffness in a normative aging population, irrespective of traditional risk factor burden. Further research is needed to understand the mechanism of this association and to test the hypothesis that vitamin D supplementation can reduce arterial stiffness.