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Study Links Low Serum Vitamin D with Increased Cardiovascular Risk
A prospective observational study has found an association between low serum vitamin D levels and increased risk for cardiovascular disease.
The results, released early online in Circulation, were based on a 5-year follow-up of about 1700 participants (mean age, 59) without prior cardiovascular disease in the Framingham Offspring Study. Those with serum levels of 25-dihydroxyvitamin D below 15 ng/mL at the onset had an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.62 for cardiovascular events, compared with people who had higher serum levels. In particular, vitamin D deficiency more than doubled cardiovascular risk in people with hypertension.
The authors caution that while treatments from observational studies are not always validated through randomized trials, these results "suggest that moderate to severe vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease." They conclude that their findings may have public health implications, given "the ease, safety, and low cost of treating vitamin D deficiency."
LINK(S):
Circulation article (Free PDF)
Published in Physician's First Watch January 8, 2008
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