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Published on: December 11, 2017

Can vitamin D supplementation improve the severity of congestive heart failure?

Ahmad Amin1, Shima Minaee, Mitra Chitsazan

  • 1Department of Heart Failure and Transplantation, Fellowship in Heart Failure & Transplantation, Rajaei Cardiovascular, Medical and Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. amina33@gmail.com

Congestive Heart Failure (Greenwich, Conn.)
|March 23, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Vitamin D supplementation significantly improved heart failure (HF) outcomes. Patients showed reduced pro-brain natriuretic peptide and C-reactive protein levels, alongside enhanced functional capacity and New York Heart Association class.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Endocrinology
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • Heart failure (HF) is a complex syndrome often associated with vitamin D deficiency.
  • Low vitamin D levels are prevalent in HF patients, impacting disease severity and prognosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in improving biochemical markers and functional capacity in heart failure patients.
  • To investigate the impact of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) on patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class I-III heart failure.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective study involving 100 HF patients with low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels.
  • Patients received oral vitamin D3 for 4 months, with pre- and post-supplementation measurements of vitamin D, pro-brain natriuretic peptide, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, NYHA class, and 6-minute walk distance.

Main Results:

  • Vitamin D supplementation significantly increased serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels (P<.001).
  • Pro-brain natriuretic peptide and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels decreased significantly (P<.001).
  • Substantial improvements were observed in NYHA class and 6-minute walk distance (P<.001).

Conclusions:

  • Vitamin D supplementation is effective in improving biochemical markers and functional capacity in heart failure patients.
  • Restoring vitamin D levels may be a beneficial therapeutic strategy for managing heart failure.

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