June 13, 2008 – Men who have sufficient vitamin D intake have half the risk of having a fatal heart attack or not, compared to those with a deficiency, reports a US study from Harvard University1.
These results, obtained from 1350 men followed for ten years, militate in favor of an upward revision of the daily intake of vitamin D recommended in the Nordic countries.
Of the participants, 454 men suffered a heart attack, 102 of which were fatal. These men were more likely to smoke, to be sedentary and to be overweight.
However, after isolating these risk factors, it seems that the effect of vitamin D deficiency should also be considered. Participants who had insufficient blood vitamin D levels (15 nanograms per milliliter or less) were 2.4 times more likely to have a myocardial infarction – fatal or not – than those with sufficient vitamin D blood levels ( 30 ng / ml).
Each increase of 1 ng / ml of vitamin D in the blood resulted in a 2.1% decrease in the risk of heart attack in general, and a 4.3% decrease in the risk of a fatal heart attack, in particular, also observed Researchers.
For a higher intake of vitamin D
In this study, only one in four men (23%) had a blood level considered sufficient in vitamin D, which is representative of the situation in the Nordic countries, the researchers estimate.
According to them, these data should encourage public health organizations to increase the recommended daily intakes of vitamin D.
According to lead author Edward Giovannucci, studies on the subject indicate that a vitamin D supplement is safe up to 10,000 IU per day.
In Canada and the United States, the recommended daily dose is 200 IU to 600 IU, depending on age.
For its part, the Canadian Cancer Society recommends that all adults take at least 1000 IU per day, during fall and winter.2.
“These recommendations are too conservative,” says Edward Giovannucci. It is all the more important to increase this contribution as the periods of sunshine are even shorter in our northern latitudes than in the south. He suggests a dose of 3000 IU per day.
Remember that moderate exposure to the sun is the best source of vitamin D, since it is through the skin that humans synthesize this essential vitamin best.3.
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
1. Giovannucci E, Liu Y, et al, 25-hydroxyvitamin D and risk of myocardial infarction in men: a prospective study, Archives of Internal Medicine, June 9, 2008, Vol. 168, No 11, 1174-80.
2. See our news published on June 11, 2007 and June 15, 2007.
3. For more information, see our fact sheet on vitamin D.
-1739366311.jpg "Ellie Bloom: “Seeing the size of the hole in my heart, the cardiologist told me that I had a guardian angel”")
