Vitamin D promotes cardiometabolic health: new findings

Meta-analysis published in journal projectanalyzed data from 99 randomized controlled trials involving nearly 18,000 people. After analyzing the data, the researchers found that taking about 3,320 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day lowered blood pressure, overall cholesterol, hemoglobin A1C (a marker of type 2 diabetes), and fasting blood sugar.

“The results of this study highlight the need for personalized vitamin D intervention strategies,” the researchers wrote in their conclusion.

This is not the first study to examine the potential effects of taking vitamin D supplements on cardiometabolic health. Here’s what we know about the connection and what doctors think.

How much vitamin D do you need?

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that occurs naturally in certain foods, such as trout, salmon, and mushrooms, and is also added to certain products, such as cereals and milk. It is also available as a dietary supplement. The two main types of vitamin D found in supplements are vitamin D2 (also called ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol).

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According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), you also get vitamin D through vitamin D synthesis, which is what happens when your skin is exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

Vitamin D needs vary based on a person’s gender and age, but most adults need 15 to 20 micrograms (or 600 to 800 international units) of the vitamin daily. However, studies have found that about 94% of the population aged 1 year and above receive less than 400 IU of vitamin D per day from food and beverages. This means that most people don’t get enough vitamin D.

How does vitamin D help with cardiometabolic problems?

This is a bit tricky, given that previous research has not found vitamin D supplements to be helpful for a range of cardiometabolic problems. In fact, a May 2015 study Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine Specifically stating that vitamin D supplements are “ineffective” in lowering blood pressure, a June 2014 article hypertension It said it had “no effect” on blood pressure. one meta-analysis ⁴Studies have found that vitamin D helps lower low-density lipoprotein (“bad”) cholesterol but does not affect high-density lipoprotein (“good”) cholesterol levels.

Some studies have found that vitamin D may help improve insulin resistance and HbA1c levels, but more research is needed to confirm this.

David Bleich, MD, chief of the division of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism and professor of medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, stresses that the latest study (and several others) does not prove that taking vitamin D can help improve these health conditions. Instead, it found a link between people taking vitamin D and a lower risk of these health problems.

“This has been ridiculed for twenty years,” Dr. Blige said. “People are trying to make this link between inflammation, vitamin D and immune responses across cardiometabolic endpoints, but while it looks pretty good in animal and rodent models, when you get to humans, it just doesn’t work. It became more blurry.

Cheng-Han Chen, MD, an interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California, agrees: “The underlying mechanisms by which vitamin D affects blood pressure, cholesterol, and glycemic control are not yet known. is well understood and should be the subject of further research,” he said.

What does the doctor suggest?

If you’re concerned about your risk for any of these health problems, Dr. Blige recommends talking to your doctor. “We have good drugs that specifically target this type of problem,” he said. “I don’t think you need to use alternative medicine, although I know a lot of people do.”

“To date, there is still insufficient evidence to recommend vitamin D supplementation to help prevent heart disease,” said Dr. Chen. But he stressed the importance of following lifestyle factors that have been shown to contribute to heart health, such as eating a balanced diet, engaging in regular physical activity, sleeping seven hours or more a night, maintaining a healthy weight for your body type, avoiding alcohol and alcohol Smoke and try to reduce your stress levels.

“If you continue to have problems with blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood sugar control, you may benefit from medications prescribed by your doctor,” says Dr. Chen.

Still, Dr. Bleich says vitamin D is a relatively safe supplement as long as you stay within the FDA-approved limit of 100 micrograms or 4,000 IU per day. (Above this level it is considered toxic and can cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, bone pain and weakness, and kidney problems, according to the Mayo Clinic.)

Finally, if you have a health problem, it’s best to consult a medical professional. They should be able to provide personalized guidance from there.