Limitations of vitamin D supplementation
While animal and preclinical studies provide a compelling story of vitamin D benefits, human observational studies are, mixed and less clear. In contrast, avoidance of vitamin D deficiency has many clear benefits. The ViDA trial, which was, presented at the meeting, is one such RCT. Although other trials were, not published until after the meeting, most concluded that vitamin D supplements do not reduce the risk of cancer.
Moreover, it is difficult to determine how much vitamin D is safe for the average person. However, the Endocrine Society’s guideline suggests that individuals consume approximately 10,000 IU/day, which is equivalent to 250 ng/L. The difficulty lies in estimating the daily requirements of individuals who have certain health conditions, such as malabsorption syndrome.
Further, there is a lack of evidence to support the safety and effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation in humans. Most human trials focus on a single primary outcome and a small population. Thus, the study’s findings may be biased by a single, narrow population and a specific intervention. In addition, long-term vitamin D supplementation is, associated with an increased risk of kidney stones in people with high calcium intake. Despite these limitations, supplementation is, not known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease or mortality.
Despite the many benefits of vitamin D supplementation, many studies have found limited effects on bone health and fracture. While vitamin D is necessary to prevent rickets and osteomalacia, it has not been shown to reduce the risk of hip fractures. However, there are studies that indicate that vitamin D supplementation may increase the risk of falls.
A high level of 25(OH)D in the blood increases the risk of rickets in children. However, this threshold is, not fixed and may vary between children and adults. Therefore, the risk of developing rickets depends on the level of calcium and phosphate in the diet. Moreover, the level of parathyroid hormone in the blood can affect the level of vitamin D.
In addition to vitamin D supplementation, adequate vitamin D nutrition during pregnancy and lactation is also important for the health of the baby. This should be an integral part of global public health policies.
Effects of vitamin D on cancer
Vitamin D has anticancer properties, but the effects are complex and varied. Recent data suggest that dysregulation of vitamin D metabolism plays a major role in cancer. This dysregulation contributes to cancer progression and confers resistance to vitamin D’s antitumorigenic effects. Understanding this mechanism will be important in developing novel vitamin D-based cancer therapies.
Although no definitive conclusion was reached, studies suggest that vitamin D may be beneficial for the prevention of certain cancers, such as breast cancer and colorectal cancer. This study also shows that vitamin D reduces the risk of cancer deaths and metastatic disease. It may also be helpful in cancer screening.
In the VITAL trial, vitamin D supplementation was, associated with a reduction in the risk of cancer. However, this effect did not vary based on baseline levels of vitamin D, and vitamin D use was, not associated with any significant difference in secondary cardiovascular end points or cancer mortality. A post-hoc analysis of the results found no significant differences between groups in the incidence of invasive cancer and total cancer deaths.
Observational studies have also shown a positive association between vitamin D and the risk of developing breast cancer. Studies on women exposed to high amounts of vitamin D during their teenage years showed that they had lower rates of dying from the disease. However, the relationship between vitamin D and breast cancer is complex, and more studies are, needed.
Vitamin D can be found in fortified foods and supplements. It is, also found naturally in the body. Its preferred form is vitamin D3, which is, also found in most foods. Taking vitamin D supplements is important to ensure that you get the recommended amount. It is also important to consider your dietary intake.
People with low vitamin D levels are more susceptible to cancer. People with dark skin and those living in northern latitudes are at higher risk for deficiency. Certain medical conditions in people that prevent the absorption of vitamin D are also at risk.
Effects of vitamin D on heart disease
Many studies have shown that low levels of vitamin D are associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and select CVD risk factors, including hypertension and diabetes. In the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, which included 18,225 men over the course of 13 years, low levels of vitamin D were, linked to a higher risk of myocardial infarction and heart failure. This study showed that despite adjusting for age, race, gender, and other variables, those with low levels of vitamin D were at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, especially myocardial infarction.
However, the effect of vitamin D supplementation on cardiovascular events is largely unknown. There are no studies showing that taking vitamin D supplements reduces the risk of heart disease or stroke. However, higher doses of vitamin D supplementation may be beneficial for those at increased risk of CVD. Further studies are, needed to determine whether higher levels of vitamin D may protect against heart failure and other CVD events.
The goal of the systematic review was to determine whether vitamin D supplementation reduces the risk of heart disease. The authors searched electronic databases for studies involving human subjects. They only considered randomized clinical trials, regardless of language. The Cochrane library, PubMed, and Embase databases were, used. The data were, then extracted by two independent reviewers, following Cochrane recommendations.
Recent studies have attempted to answer this question by examining the effects of vitamin D supplementation on CVD. However, the results from these studies have been mixed. Nonetheless, the use of vitamin D supplements has dramatically increased in recent years. In addition, several large observational studies have been conducted over the past few decades. In one such study, the NHANES III national cohort registry, researchers found a significant inverse association between 25(OH)D levels and all-cause mortality, and a non-significant association between 25(OH)D and CVD risk.
Although Vitamin D deficiency is common worldwide, it is, associated with numerous adverse health problems. In particular, lower levels of vitamin D are, associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular mortality, and hypertension. Nevertheless, the benefits of supplementation are unclear, and larger randomized clinical trials are, needed to establish whether it is beneficial.
Effects of vitamin D on blood pressure
Although the exact mechanism of vitamin D and blood pressure is, not fully understood, there is some evidence to suggest that vitamin D supplements are effective at lowering blood pressure. However, more studies are, needed to prove this. Vitamin D deficiency is one of the leading causes of CVD, and its treatment is often a controversial topic.
Vitamin D supplementation reduces blood pressure in people with high blood pressure. However, it must be accompanied by antihypertensive drugs. A meta-analysis performed by He and Hao revealed that vitamin D does not significantly decrease blood pressure in vitamin D-deficient normotensive subjects. On the other hand, in obese and older patients, vitamin D supplementation reduced systolic blood pressure.
Vitamin D may also influence blood pressure through its interaction with salt. However, further research is, needed to prove how vitamin D directly or indirectly affects the vascular endothelium. This is an important question to address as more studies are, needed to clarify the causal relationship between vitamin D and blood pressure.
Although the mechanism of vitamin D and blood pressure is, not yet fully understood, there is evidence that vitamin D deficiency is, associated with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Although the results from observational studies are conflicting, several have suggested that low vitamin D levels increase the risk of several diseases. The researchers noted that abnormal vascular endothelial function, vascular smooth muscle proliferation, and elevated RAS activity are some of the factors that may contribute to this association.
Several studies have shown that vitamin D supplementation decreases blood pressure. However, these studies have not been conducted in the general population. Long-term interventions are necessary to validate these findings. A systematic review of the existing evidence on vitamin D and blood pressure is, needed to further determine its beneficial effect.
Some research has suggested that vitamin D deficiency may explain part of the black-white blood pressure disparity. Nevertheless, one study found that supplementing with vitamin D was ineffective in lowering blood pressure in blacks. The study’s limitations included a low number of participants and an open label policy, which might have contributed to contamination. The vitamin D dose used in the study was too low to raise blood pressure levels above the therapeutic threshold.
