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Low Vitamin D levels are linked to heart risk

People with low levels of Vitamin D have been shown to have an increased risk of heart attack, heart failure and stroke.

Researcher Dr Wang, from Harvard Medical School in Boston told Science Daily, "Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, above and beyond established cardiovascular risk factors".

Dr Wang also added, "The higher risk associated with vitamin D deficiency was particularly evident among individuals with high blood pressure."

The study

Researchers followed 1739 people, of an average age of 59 years for 5 years. They monitored their Vitamin D levels, blood pressure and other cardiovascular risks.

Those people with low levels of Vitamin D had a 62% higher risk of having a cardiovascular event than those with normal Vitamin D levels.

Vitamin D

According to The National Institute of Health, Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that is found in food and can also be made in your body after exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. Sunshine is a significant source of vitamin D because UV rays from sunlight trigger vitamin D synthesis in the skin.

Food sources of Vitamin D include; milk, salmon, mackerel, sardines, cod liver oil and tuna.

Vitamin D levels can be increased with limited exposure to the sun and changes to the diet to include foods rich in Vitamin D.

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