The basics of Vitamin D.
Is there proof of any Vitamin D linked heart disease? Vitamin D in general is known to be a strong combatant against cancer and it has shown with recent studies to have a seventy-seven percent (77%) success rate in fighting off cancer cells and prevents them from spreading through the body but there are now researches proving that heart diseases can be linked back to low amounts and extremely high amounts of Vitamin D. Vitamin D, in its most basic idea, is used by the body for better absorption of calcium and phosphorous. It also boosts the absorption of aluminum in the body. Because of this calcium absorption Vitamin D is mostly associated with bone health but now it has proven to have a direct effect on heart health as well.
Generally speaking Vitamin D is mostly obtained through sun exposure, or more specifically through UV rays. Just a few minutes outside of the house to get some sunlight on your skin is adequately sufficient to get your body to produce the right amount of Vitamin D circulating throughout the body. During the summer time you only need to walk outside for a good five to ten minutes to get exposure on your face, arms and legs. During the winter or if you reside in a place where the sun is not often out due to snowy weather, you’ll need to spread a good two or three hours worth of sun exposure over the course of a week to get the right amount of Vitamin D or you could simply pop in a few supplementary pills if your work requires you to stay indoors all the time. You can also get the right amount of Vitamin D through enriched milk or cod liver oil among other food products.
So what is the course of a Vitamin D linked heart disease?
Heart failure, artery congestion and other major cardiovascular diseases have been traced to be caused by low levels of Vitamin D however doctors and scientists alike are stating that the “regular” amount of Vitamin D is still too low and are arguing to raise the bar. There have been two case studies already conducted, one concerning more than nine thousand patients (9,000) and the second involving thirty-one thousand patients (31,000), and both have shown that when Vitamin D levels are low there is a higher risk of artery failure and other cardiovascular diseases, including overall heart failure. Both of these studies were randomized trials to keep track of sustainable data.
Vitamin D was mostly associated with bone health but these studies have indicated that there is more to the vitamin than bone concerns. Vitamin D, as mentioned above, is good for absorption of calcium and it is this property of the vitamin that they are looking into. With higher Vitamin D intake there is less calcification in the heart’s arteries, allowing steady blood flow that prevents blood congestion within the chambers of the heart. Vitamin D has shown to reduce inflammatory problems and the overall result is that the right levels of Vitamin D, united with its heart health benefits, can lead to longer lifespan.
There is more to it though. Vitamin D is also useful for strengthening the immune system. This property can be manipulated by the body or by medical supplements to promote better heart health, including lowering bad cholesterol levels that can cause high blood pressure and heart failure. By utilizing this property of the vitamin a person can successfully prevent blockage on his blood vessels and chew away what is already building up inside to lower the risk. The vitamin has also shown results that could prove useful in preventing diabetes in most patients.
How much Vitamin D is suggested?
The normal suggested level of Vitamin D that doctors prescribed is to have at least six hundred (600) to eight hundred (800) international units (IU) of Vitamin D in the body. This equates to about thirty minutes of sun exposure on normal conditions. As mentioned above however the new studies indicate that higher levels of Vitamin D might be better and doctors are suggesting levels equating from one thousand units (1,000 IU) to five thousand units (5,000 IU), depending on the health of the patient. Six thousand units (6,000) are already considered too high and it could lead to adverse affects.
Excessive amounts of Vitamin D triggers high production of the body’s CRP or C-Reactive Protein. High amount of CRP is related to bad blood vessels and can lead to the exact problem that Vitamin D was intended to be used for: hear failure. Going too high above the suggestive level of Vitamin D can defeat the purpose of taking it in. From this study it is highly reasonable that taking too much of anything is bad, Vitamin D included. The right levels are still being debated by the medical society.
From this data, researchers, both scientists and doctors alike, have regulated that the right amount of Vitamin D still sits at the low-medium of 800 IU. They are, however, looking into the right amount of Vitamin D level that is high enough to be in the safe zone but will successfully promote better heart health, prevent diabetes and strengthen the immune system. There will always be enough sources to get Vitamin D at the moment since the sun doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to disappear so there is time yet to determine just how much of the nutrient the body truly needs.
Concluding the Data
So is there a Vitamin D linked heart disease? If you count heart failure, blood vessel inflammation and high blood pressure than yes, there is. Vitamin D has proven to be a key ingredient in promoting heart health and combating what complications may already exist in a patient. The only complication that still baffles researches is just how much Vitamin D the body requires in order for it to keep a healthy body. Cardiovascular diseases are among the top leading causes of death all over the world but with further research, Vitamin D just might prove to be the key in promoting better health and longer life.