Vit D linked to lower heart risk

[Guest guest]

Most US residents get far too little Vit d - see the " Vitamin D " document in the

files. We need at least 1000 iu a day, and many doctors, including my

cardiologist, want 2000 iu a day.

Sandy r

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Vitamin D Linked to Lower Heart Risk

Studies Show Supplements of Vitamin D May Help Protect Against Heart Disease

Klodas, MD, FACC

March 1, 2010 --

Vitamin D supplements may not only help your bones, they may help protect your

heart.

A new review of research on vitamin D and calcium supplements shows that people

who take moderate to high doses of vitamin D have a lower risk of heart disease.

Calcium supplements seemed to have little effect on heart disease risk.

Vitamin D is produced by the body in response to exposure to sunlight but is

also commonly found in fortified dairy products and supplements. It is already

known to play a critical role in calcium absorption and bone health, but a

growing number of studies suggest that vitamin D supplementation may also lower

the risk of heart disease.

Researchers say vitamin D and calcium deficiency is a common problem among the

elderly throughout the world. In the United States, the Institute of Medicine

recommends vitamin D supplements at a dose of 400 to 600 International Units

(IU) per day and calcium at a dose of 1,200 milligrams per day for adults over

age 50.

But recent research suggests that significantly higher doses of vitamin D may be

required to reap the maximum health benefits of vitamin D supplements.

To help clarify the role of vitamin D and calcium in heart disease risk,

researchers analyzed 17 studies published between 1966 and 2009 on vitamin D and

calcium supplementation and heart disease. The results appear in the ls of

Internal Medicine.

Researchers found six studies (five of which involved people on dialysis and one

which included the general population) showed a consistent reduction in

heart-related deaths among people who took vitamin D supplements. But four

studies of initially healthy individuals found no differences in development of

heart disease between those who received calcium supplements and those who did

not.

A second analysis of eight studies showed a slight, but statistically

insignificant 10% reduction in heart disease risk among those who took moderate

to high doses of vitamin D supplements. No such reduction in heart disease risk

was found among those who took calcium or a combination of calcium and vitamin D

supplements.

Researchers say very few studies have specifically investigated the effect of

vitamin D supplements alone or in combination with calcium on heart disease risk

in healthy people.

But evidence to date " suggests that vitamin D supplementation at moderate to

high doses may have beneficial effects on reducing the risk for CVD [heart

disease], whereas calcium supplementation seems to have no apparent effect, "

write researcher Lu Wang, MD, PhD of the division of preventive medicine at

Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and colleagues.

They say more research is " urgently needed " to better explain the role of

vitamin D in preventing heart disease.

The data should not be interpreted to mean that calcium supplements are harmful.

Although calcium had only a neutral effect on heart health in the current

analysis, calcium is known to be important for bone health. Calcium intake

remains below recommended levels for a large portion of the U.S. population.