For Women, Vitamin D Protective Against High Blood Pressure

Vitamin D deficiency in premenopausal women may increase the risk of developing systolic hypertension 15 years later, reports a study by Flojaune C. Griffin, from University of Michigan School of Public Health (USA) and colleagues, who presented their findings at The American Heart Association’s 63rd High Blood Pressure Research Conference 2009.  The team examined data on 559 Caucasian women enrolled in the Michigan Bone Health and Metabolism. The ongoing study began in 1992 when the women were 24 to 44 years old with an average age of 38 years.  The team took blood pressure readings annually and measured vitamin D blood levels first in 1993, and then again in 2007.   Hypertension rose from 6% to 25% over 15 years in this study population.  The group found that premenopausal women who had vitamin D deficiency in 1993 were at three-times more risk of developing systolic hypertension 15 years later, compared to those who had normal levels of vitamin D.  The researchers comment that: “Our results indicate that early vitamin D deficiency may increase the long-term risk of high blood pressure in women at mid-life.”