Vitamin D Deficiency Raises Risk of Heart Disease

Most often associated with poor bone health, vitamin D deficiency may also raise a person’s risk of ischemic heart disease – which may manifest as heart attack, coronary arteriosclerosis, or angina.  Other studies suggest that vitamin D deficiency may increase blood pressure and consequently, the risk of heart attack.  Peter Brondum-Jacobsen, from the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), and colleagues utilized data collected from 10,000 Danes enrolled in the Copenhagen City Heart Study, which measured levels of vitamin D in blood, comparing the 5% lowest levels of vitamin D (less than 15 nanomol per liter serum) with the 50% highest levels (more than 50 nanomol per liter serum)., and then followed nationwide Danish registries for hospital admissions.  The team observed that low levels of vitamin D compared to optimal levels are linked to 40% higher risk of ischemic heart disease, 64% higher risk of heart attack, 57% higher risk of early death, and to no less than 81% higher risk of death from heart disease.  The study authors summarize that: "We observed increasing risk of ischemic heart disease, myocardial infarction, and early death with decreasing plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels.”