Low Vitamin D Linked to High Blood Pressure

by | Dec 4, 2008 | 2008, Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Health, Vitamin D - General, Vitamin D - Heart

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. In a study of nearly 1500 women, the group with the lowest vitamin D levels had a 66% greater risk of high blood pressure compared to the group with the highest level.

High blood pressure (HBP) is estimated to affect 65 million Americans aged 20 years and older. The death rate from this condition increased by 26.8% from 1992-2002, with nearly 50,000 deaths in the U.S. caused by high blood pressure in 2002 alone (1). High blood pressure is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease (2) and has been deemed a worldwide epidemic (3).

Now a new study has found that vitamin D may help maintain healthy blood pressure. In the study, researchers compared vitamin D blood levels of nearly 1500 women participating in the Nurse’s Health Study 2 (4).

They found that those with the lowest 25% of vitamin D blood levels (16.7 nanograms per milliliter) had a 66% increased risk of HBP compared to those with the highest 25% of vitamin D blood levels (37.9 nanograms per milliliter).  But researchers also found that almost 67% of the patient had a vitamin D deficiency, classified as having vitamin D blood levels below 30 nanograms per milliliter.

When looking at how vitamin D deficiency precipitates HBP, the researchers pointed to vitamin D’s ability to increase insulin sensitivity (5) and insulin resistance to contribute to the onset of HBP (6). They therefore concluded that “lower [vitamin D] levels are independently associated with a higher risk of incident hypertension.”

Source: Forman, John P., Gary C. Curhan, and Eric N. Taylor. “Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and risk of incident hypertension among young women.” Hypertension 52, no. 5 (2008): 828-832.

© 2008 American Heart Association, Inc.

Posted December 4, 2008.

References:

  1. “High Blood Pressure Statistics” posted on the American Heart Association website.
  2. David Conen D.  Blood pressure progression: prospective cohort study with high normal blood pressure or blood Risk of cardiovascular events among women.  BMJ published online 19 Aug 2007; doi:10.1136/bmj.39269.672188.AE.
  3. Casas JP.  Homocysteine and stroke: evidence on a causal link from mendelian randomization.  Lancet 2005; 365(9455): 224-232.
  4. “Nurses Health Study 2: Risk Factors for Breast Cancer Among Younger Nurses” posted on the National Cancer Institute website.
  5. Chonchol M, Scragg R. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D, insulin resistance, and kidney function in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Kidney Int. 2007; 71: 134–139.
  6. Reaven GM, Lithell H, Landsberg L. Hypertension and associated metabolic abnormalities–the role of insulin resistance and the sympathoadrenal system. N Engl J Med. 1996; 334: 374–381.