Study: Low Vitamin D Associated With Hypertension

For those running low on vitamin D, more than their bones are in trouble—they also may be at risk for hypertension, according to a study published in the January 2008 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The study found that low blood concentrations of vitamin D were associated with higher blood pressure in Caucasians (the same didn’t hold true in this study among African Americans).

Researchers from the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta checked blood pressure and vitamin D status among 7,699 adults. They found that 61 percent of the whites and 92 percent of the blacks participating in the study were vitamin D-deficient. For the white subjects whose levels of the vitamin were sufficient, there was a 20-percent lower increase in age-associated systolic blood pressure (the top number in blood pressure readings).

The study did not determine whether or not increasing vitamin D levels would lower blood pressure, though. The investigators did note that vitamin D deficiency is highly prevalent in the United States and that it is easily corrected by taking supplements or increasing your exposure to sunlight.

Source: DrWeil.com