Vitamin D for Heart Health

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in a few foods, and is produced endogenously when ultraviolet rays from the sun hit the skin and trigger vitamin D synthesis in our bodies. Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in the gut and enables normal mineralization of bone. Without sufficient vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen.



The Sunlight Vitamin; Source: Mercola.com

Vitamin D is a good defence against anemia. The lower the vitamin D levels, the lower the hemoglobin and the higher the risk for anemia.

Vitamin D has other roles in the body as well. Every tissue in the body, including the brain, heart, muscles and immune system, has receptors for vitamin D, which means that this nutrient is needed at proper levels for them to function well. There are perhaps 200 different important metabolic processes that use vitamin D as a co-factor. Thus, Vitamin D is needed for modulation of cell growth, neuromuscular and immune function, and reduction of inflammation, and its deficiency can lead to high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and hardening and inflammation of blood vessels.


Vitamin D deficiency increases insulin resistance, which raises the risk of diabetes. Thus Vitamin D deficiency affects glucose control, another factor critical to cardiovascular health.

How Does Vitamin D Help the Heart?

Blood vessels are lined with a layer of endothelial cells, which control their dilation and constriction and prevent the formation of clots. Vitamin D strengthens the endothelial cells and the muscles surrounding the blood vessels. It also reduces the level of angiotensin, a hormone that causes blood pressure to increase.

Vitamin D increases your body’s natural anti-inflammatory cytokine (cell-signalling protein molecules produced by the nervous system) and suppresses vascular calcification.

Population studies of humans found higher rates of coronary heart disease and hypertension the further people live from the equator. Vitamin D deficiency is rare in tropical settings because of the strong sunlight, which promotes creation of the vitamin in the skin.



Source

Researchers say higher rates of vitamin D deficiency may be due in part to the use of sunscreens and to their spending more time indoors. Sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 blocks approximately 99% of vitamin D synthesis by the skin.

Healthmad

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