How Danger of Heart Disease reduced by proper Vitamin D intake

What is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is a steroid vitamin, a group of fat-soluble prohormones, which encourages the absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorous. People who are exposed to normal quantities of sunlight do not need vitamin D supplements because sunlight promotes sufficient vitamin D synthesis in the skin.

Five forms of vitamin D have been discovered, vitamin D1, D2, D3, D4, D5. The two forms that seem to matter to humans the most are vitamins D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol).

Many other health benefits of vitamin D

• It is crucial for the absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorous, which have various functions, especially the maintenance of healthy bones.
• It is an immune system regulator.
• It may be an important way to arm the immune system against disorders like the common cold, say scientists from the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Children's Hospital Boston.
• It may reduce the risk of developing multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is much less common the nearer you get to the tropics, where there is much more sunlight, according to Dennis Bourdette, chairman of the Department of Neurology and director of the Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Center at Oregon Health and Science University, USA.
• Vitamin D may have a key role in helping the brain to keep working well in later life, according to a study of 3000 European men between the ages of 40 and 79.
• Vitamin D is probably linked to maintaining a healthy body weight, according to research carried out at the Medical College of Georgia, USA.
• It can reduce the severity and frequency of asthma symptoms, and also the likelihood of hospitalizations due to asthma, researchers from Harvard Medical School found after monitoring 616 children in Costa Rica.
• It has been shown to reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis in women.
• A form of vitamin D could be one of our body's main protections against damage from low levels of radiation, say radiological experts from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
• Various studies have shown that people with adequate levels of vitamin D have a significantly lower risk of developing cancer, compared to people with lower levels. Vitamin D deficiency was found to be prevalent in cancer patients regardless of nutritional status, in a study carried out by Cancer Treatment Centers of America.
• High vitamin D doses can help people recover from tuberculosis more rapidly, researchers reported in September 2012 in the Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
• An additional study published in September 2012 suggested that low levels of vitamin D may increase the risk of heart attack and early death.

How much vitamin D do I need?

The information below relates to people who do not have exposure to sunlight.

According to the Food Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine of The National Academies, which created the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs), people should be intaking the following amounts of vitamin D if nothing is being synthesized (no sunlight exposure):

Children up to 13 years - 5 mcg (200 IU)

14-18 years - 5 mcg (200 IU)

19-50 years - 5mcg (200 IU)

51-70 years - 10 mcg (400 IU)

71+ years - 15 mcg (600 IU)

Sunlight and vitamin D requirements

If you live in the tropics and can expose your unprotected skin to two sessions of 15 minutes of sunlight each week your body will naturally produce adequate amounts of vitamin D. The following factors may reduce your body's vitamin D synthesis:

If you live far from the equator, your sunlight exposure will be less during many months of the year.

Cloud cover

Smog

Sunscreens

If your body cannot produce enough vitamin D because of insufficient sunlight exposure you will need to obtain it from foods and perhaps supplements. Experts say that people with a high risk of vitamin D deficiency should consume 25 μg (1000 IU) of vitamin D each day so that there is a good level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the bloodstream. Elderly people, as well as people with dark skin should consume extra vitamin D for good health.

Nice research-Risk of Heart Disease Increased by Vitamin D Deficiency

New research from the University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen University Hospital shows that low levels of vitamin D are associated with a markedly higher risk of heart attack and early death. The study involved more than 10,000 Danes and has been published in the well-reputed American journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.

Vitamin D deficiency has traditionally been linked with poor bone health. However, the results from several population studies indicate that a low level of this important vitamin may also be linked to a higher risk of ischemic heart disease, a designation that covers heart attack, coronary arteriosclerosis and angina. Other studies show that vitamin D deficiency may increase blood pressure, and it is well known that high blood pressure increases the risk of heart attack.Low levels of vitamin D are associated with a markedly higher risk of heart attack.

We have now examined the association between a low level of vitamin D and ischemic heart disease and death in the largest study to date. We 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," says Dr. Peter Brøndum-Jacobsen, Clinical Biochemical Department, Copenhagen University Hospital.

The scientists have compared the 5% lowest levels of vitamin D (less than 15 nanomol vitamin per litre serum) with the 50% highest levels (more than 50 nanomol vitamin per litre serum). In Denmark, it is currently recommended to have a vitamin D status of at least 50 nanomol vitamin per litre serum. The higher risks are visible, even after adjustment for several factors that can influence the level of vitamin D and the risk of disease and death. This is one of the methods scientists use to avoid bias. Blood samples from more than 10,000 Danes

The population study that forms the basis for this scientific investigation is the Copenhagen City Heart Study, where levels of vitamin D were measured in blood samples from 1981-1983. Participants were then followed in the nationwide Danish registries up to the present. "With this type of population study, we are unable to say anything definitive about a possible causal relationship. But we can ascertain that there is a strong statistical correlation between a low level of vitamin D and high risk of heart disease and early death. The explanation may be that a low level of vitamin D directly leads to heart disease and death. However, it is also possible that vitamin deficiency is a marker for poor health generally," says Børge Nordestgaard, clinical professor at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen and senior physician at Copenhagen University Hospital

  Long-term goal is prevention

 The scientists are now working to determine whether the connection between a low level of vitamin D and the risk of heart disease is a genuine causal relationship. If this is the case, it will potentially have a massive influence on the health of the world population. Heart disease is the most common cause of adult death in the world according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which estimates that at least 17 million people die every year from heart disease.

The cheapest and easiest way to get enough vitamin D is to let the sun shine on your skin at regular intervals. There is plenty of evidence that sunshine is good, but it is also important to avoid getting sunburned, which increases the risk of skin cancer. Diet with a good supply of vitamin D is also good, but it has not been proven that vitamin D as a dietary supplement prevents heart disease and death," says Børge Nordestgaard.

(Source-American journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology)