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Latest Knowledge on the Role of Vitamin D in Hypertension

Niklas S Jensen1, Markus Wehland2,3, Petra M Wise4

  • 1Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Ole Worms Allé 4, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark.

International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|March 11, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Vitamin D (vitD) may play a role in managing hypertension, a growing global health concern. While not a direct treatment, supplementing vitD alongside standard medications shows promise for blood pressure control.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology and Metabolism
  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • Hypertension is a major global disease burden, with prevalence expected to rise due to aging populations and sedentary lifestyles.
  • Elevated blood pressure (BP) is a primary risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), necessitating effective treatment strategies.
  • Established pharmacological treatments include diuretics, ACE inhibitors, ARBs, BARBs, and CCBs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current scientific understanding of vitamin D (vitD) and its potential role in hypertension management.
  • To evaluate the evidence for vitD as an antihypertensive agent, considering its known functions and effects on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS).

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on vitamin D, vitamin D receptor (VDR) knockout mouse studies, and human clinical trials.
  • Analysis of studies investigating the direct effects of vitD on blood pressure and the RAAS.
  • Examination of research on the efficacy of vitD supplementation in conjunction with conventional antihypertensive therapies.

Main Results:

  • VDR knockout mouse studies suggest a link between vitD deficiency and increased RAAS activity, potentially contributing to hypertension.
  • Human studies have yielded mixed results regarding a direct antihypertensive effect of vitD or its significant impact on the human RAAS.
  • Supplementation with vitD in combination with other antihypertensive agents has shown more promising outcomes in human trials.

Conclusions:

  • Vitamin D, known for its role in mineral homeostasis, shows potential as an adjunct therapy for hypertension.
  • While direct effects are unclear in humans, vitD's safety profile makes it an attractive candidate for further investigation as an antihypertensive supplement.
  • Further research is warranted to elucidate the precise mechanisms and optimal use of vitD in managing elevated blood pressure.

Keywords:
antihypertensive treatmentclinical trialshypertensionmolecular mechanismssupplementvitamin Dvitamin D deficiency

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