SMRs and AMRs

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Vitamin D Shows Heart Benefits in Study

By RONI CARYN RABIN
NYT

Got vitamin D? It may protect you from heart disease.

Vitamin D, of milk fame, is known for helping with calcium absorption and for building strong bones, which is why it’s routinely added to milk. But there is more and more evidence that vitamin D is a critical player in numerous other aspects of metabolism. A new study suggests many Americans aren’t getting anywhere nearly enough of the vitamin, and it may be affecting their heart health.

In the study, researchers looked at tens of thousands of healthy adults 50 and older whose vitamin D levels had been measured during routine checkups. A majority, they found, were deficient in the vitamin. About two-thirds had less vitamin D in their bloodstreams than the authors considered healthy, and many were extremely deficient.

Less than two years later, the researchers found, those who had extremely low levels of the vitamin were almost twice as likely to have died or suffered a stroke than those with adequate amounts. They also had more coronary artery disease and were twice as likely to have developed heart failure.

(More here.)

1 Comments:

Anonymous Physician said...

People have always known that vitamins and proper nutrients can contribute to a more healthy heart. A new study by researchers at the Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City claims that Vitamin D, in particular, has strong correlations to healthy heart, and that a deficiency of Vitamin D may substantially increase one’s risk for stroke and heart disease.
http://www.physician.com

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