A recent study revealed that vitamin D supplements may work to lower blood pressure in elderly people with obesity. The results of the study were published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society on November 12.
Vitamin D deficiency is common worldwide and is associated with heart disease, immune diseases, infections, and cancer. Studies have linked vitamin D deficiency to a higher risk of high blood pressure, but the evidence on the beneficial effect of vitamin D supplements on blood pressure is inconclusive.
The study was conducted by researchers from the American University of Beirut in cooperation with researchers from Pennsylvania State University in the United States and Al-Faisal University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D (also referred to as calciferol) is a vitamin found naturally in a few foods, added to others, and available as a dietary supplement. It is also produced within the body, when ultraviolet rays from sunlight strike the skin and stimulate the production of vitamin D in the body.
Vitamin D enhances calcium absorption in the intestine and maintains adequate calcium and phosphate concentrations in the blood to strengthen bones and prevent spasms and cramps resulting from a lack of calcium in the blood. It is also necessary for bone growth and remodeling by osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Without adequate amounts of vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle or deformed. A sufficient amount of vitamin D prevents rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults. Vitamin D – along with calcium – helps protect older people from osteoporosis.
Vitamin D and blood pressure
In this context, Dr. Ghada Hajj Fuleihan, who holds a doctorate in medicine and a master’s degree in public health and a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, from the American University of Beirut Medical Center in Lebanon, said – according to the Eurick Alert website – that “our study found that vitamin D supplements may reduce “It reduces blood pressure in specific subpopulations, such as older adults, people with obesity, and perhaps those with low levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D doses higher than the Institute of Medicine’s recommended daily dose do not provide additional health benefits.”
Researchers conducted a study on 221 obese elderly people who took vitamin D supplements at either a dose of 600 IU per day or 3,750 IU per day over the course of a year, and found that the supplements reduced their blood pressure.
The researchers compared the two groups and found that high doses of vitamin D did not provide additional health benefits. The study revealed that people who suffer from obesity and those who have low levels of vitamin D are the ones who benefit most.