A new study reveals that vitamin D supplementation improves cardiometabolic health, especially in older people and non-Western people.
- A new study shows that vitamin D supplementation benefits cardiometabolic health.
- It allows, among other things, a reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, cholesterol, fasting blood sugar, hemoglobin A1c and even fasting blood insulin.
- These effects were especially visible in non-Western populations, seniors, people with low vitamin D levels or a BMI less than 30.
Vitamin D is strongly involved in the quality of bone and muscle tissue as well as in the proper functioning of the immune system. But that would not be all according to a study, published in the journal Engineering. Its results reveal that vitamin D supplementation would have beneficial effects on the heart and blood sugar levels.
Vitamin D: it has beneficial effects on heart health
To better understand the effects of vitamin D on the body, Chinese and American researchers reviewed 99 randomized controlled trials involving a total of 17,656 participants. Analysis of the various data collected shows that taking 3,320 international units (IU) of vitamin D every day improved several indicators of heart health such as systolic and diastolic blood pressure, cholesterol, fasting blood sugar, hemoglobin A1c as well as than the fasting blood insulin level.
These beneficial effects were particularly significant and visible in non-Western participants, elderly people over fifty, those with a BMI less than 30 or even low levels of vitamin D (less than 15.0 ng·mL).
Vitamin D and heart: personalize supplementation according to patients
In view of their results, the researchers suggest that vitamin D supplementation should be evaluated and personalized for patients based on their personal characteristics such as age, BMI and their origins. For example, the results showed that longer intervention durations (greater than three months) or even higher doses would help optimize markers of cardiometabolic health for the four specific groups identified.
“By tailoring vitamin D supplementation based on individual characteristics, health care providers can improve the effectiveness of the intervention and reduce the prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases”conclude the authors in their press release.
