Sunshine and Vitamin D is Good for Your Heart
Recent research indicates that men who have lower levels of vitamin D a greater risk of heart attack (myocardial infarction).
Deaths from cardiac disease are more frequent in higher latitudes and during the winter months - when and where the sun rarely shines - and are less frequent at higher altitudes. This disease pattern is consistent with an lower levels of vitamin D , which is are seen at higher latitudes, during the winter and at lower altitudes. Researchers do know that vitamin D affects risk of heart attack and heart disease.
Giovannucci and his team looked at blood samples of 454 men who were the aged 40 to 75 and who had non-fatal heart attacks or fatal heart disease. The researchers then compared the heart disease patients with 900 living men who had no history of cardiac disease.
The important discovery was that patients who had vitamin D levels of 15 nanograms per milliliter of blood or less had an increased risk of heart attack when compared to patients with 30 nanograms per milliliter of blood. Even patients who had intermediate vitamin D levels in their blood had a greater risk of heart attack than patients with normal levels of vitamin D.
Vitamin D deficiency has been related to an increasing number of medical conditions and to chances of dying. These findings give more support to the important role for vitamin D has cardiovascular risk. The current study gives more support to the current dietary recommendations that vitamin D should be increased to increase circulating vitamin D levels substantially in order to provide potential health benefits.
ref: http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/168/11/1174
