Blood Pressure and Vitamin D

[Guest guest]

Hi folks:

This will, I think, be my penultimate post on this topic.

My one-from-last experiment, over a full three week period, has been

to eliminate vitamin D (very nearly) entirely from my diet. During

this time I have eaten zero fish; zero mushrooms; zero vitamin D-

fortified foods like milk or orange juice; zero multi-vitamins; zero

Ca + D. No doubt there have been traces of vitamin D in some of the

foods I have eaten. But not much.

This morning, in the usual way trying to control for everything

else ....... same day of week, same time of day, before eating or

drinking anything, same machine, rest five minutes, etc. - I took my

blood pressure again.

My SBP was as low as I have ever seen it, but not lower - average of

six measurements was 107. For my DBP - six measurements - the

highest was 60. The rest were all 55 to 59. I do not remember

seeing a number under 63 ever before.

As previously noted, the implications of the above, if any, for

others may be that if you decide to take vitamin D supplements

because of their numerous apparent benefits, before doing so get a

very good understanding of your blood pressure data before starting

the supplements. Then, after a month of supplementing, take your BP

again to make sure it is not doing to you what it does to me.

In May I will experiment with five to ten minutes sun exposure daily

to see whether or not it has a similar effect. It would certainly be

nice to get the additional D if there is a way to do it without any

negative effects. Of course the American Academy of Dermatology

insists that 'even a few minutes' of sun exposure causes cancer.

Rodney.