Swiss scientists have reported a link between vitamin D supplementation and a lower risk for cardiovascular events.
Vitamin D helps ensure bones stay strong, supports the body’s immune system and assists to regulate cellular functions throughout the body, including those of brain cells; in recent years a number of studies have also linked it to improved cardiovascular health.
Now scientists from the Swiss Nutrition and Health Foundation in Epalinges, whose study was published in Nutrients, have shown a correlation between better vitamin D levels and a lower risk for cardiovascular disease. However, there was no association between lowered vitamin D levels and a heightened risk for deaths caused by either cardiovascular disease or overall causes.
Lead author Dr Pollyanna Patriota and her team examined the association between vitamin D levels and cardiovascular events, cardiovascular mortality and overall mortality, in an apparently healthy, population-based sample of 5,700 (slightly more women) living in the Swiss city of Lausanne.
All participants had vitamin D levels categorised as either normal, insufficient or deficient – and scientists assessed participants’ health over an average of 14 years.
California cardiologist Dr Cheng-Han Chen (not involved in the study) told medicalnewstoday.com: ‘This research adds to good general advice that everybody should have their vitamin D levels checked regularly by their primary care physician.
‘For those found to have very low levels, we would recommend they get vitamin D supplementation.’
A person can also eat foods rich in vitamin D, including egg yolks, beef liver, certain mushrooms, fatty fish (salmon, tuna and mackerel) and fish liver oil.
