A recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that higher vitamin D doses do not improve heart health in older adults with low vitamin D levels. The research, conducted at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, involved 688 participants with an average age of 76.5 years.
The study compared the effects of different doses of vitamin D3 supplementation on two markers of subclinical cardiac disease: high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) and N-terminal pro-b-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). These markers are associated with cardiac injury and strain, respectively.
Participants were randomized into one of four groups, receiving either 200, 1000, 2,000, or 4,000 international units (IU) per day of vitamin D3 supplementation. Blood levels of the markers of cardiovascular disease were measured at baseline, and at three-, 12- and 24-month follow-up visits. Over the two-year follow-up period, researchers found no significant differences in changes to hs-cTnI or NT-proBNP levels between the groups.
Dr. Katharine W. Rainer, lead author of the study, stated, “Our study decisively showed that vitamin D had no effect on the markers of cardiovascular disease over the two-year follow-up period, regardless of dose.”
These findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that vitamin D supplementation may not be effective in preventing cardiovascular disease, despite previous observational studies linking low vitamin D levels to increased cardiovascular risk.
Dr. Stephen P. Juraschek, senior author of the study, concluded, “While much work is needed to understand why vitamin D deficiency is associated with CVD, our study adds to the growing body of evidence that daily or monthly supplementation with vitamin D does not prevent CVD events or reduce markers of subclinical cardiac injury or strain.”
The researchers suggest that other factors, such as outdoor physical activity, may be better targets for preventive interventions in older adults.
