Plasma vitamin D-binding protein and risk of heart failure in male physicians

Previous studies have suggested that vitamin D deficiency might contribute to the pathogenesis of heart failure (HF); however, limited data are available on the association of vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP)--a major transport protein for vitamin D--and the development of HF. Thus, we investigated whether plasma VDBP is inversely associated with HF risk. Using a prospective nested case-control design, we selected 464 cases and 464 matched controls from the Physicians' Health Study for the present analyses. VDBP was determined using an enzyme-linked immunoassay. Self-reported HF was obtained through annual follow-up questionnaires and validated in a subsample by a review of the medical records. We used conditional logistic regression analyses to compute the adjusted odds ratios. The mean age was 58.6 years, and the median VDBP was 307.8 microg/ml (interquartile range 265.2 to 354.6). Plasma VDBP was not associated with HF in our study. Across the consecutive quintiles of VDBP, the odds ratio was 1.0 (95% confidence interval [CI] reference), 1.05 (95% CI 0.66 to 1.65), 1.28 (95% CI 0.80 to 2.06), 1.07 (95% CI 0.65 to 1.75), and 1.28 (95% CI 0.76 to 2.15); p for linear trend = 0.41, after adjustment for matching factors, body mass index, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, hypertension, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. In conclusion, our data have shown no significant association between the plasma levels of VDBP and HF risk in apparently healthy male physicians.