New research confirms, vitamin ‘D’ can help us control high blood pressure. Especially older folks and the obese. It’s also been confirmed as essential to many other body functions. But some of us may taking too much vitamin D via overly aggressive supplementation…
Eating more fresh foods that are high in vitamin D is the best
way to supplement your intake of this vital nutrient…
Vitamin D has been linked to a host of body functions and health issues. And current scientific wis-dom holds that we should probably all be eating more foods that naturally deliver this important nutrient. Now, there’s evidence that vitamin D can help control high blood pressure – a scourge of our times…
The more we learn…
It seems the more we learn about basic nutrition, the more we discover there IS to learn. Take pre-natal supplements, for instance. We’re recently seen that longstanding ‘standard’ recommendations for pre-natal nutrition and regular dietary supplementation may have been seriously off the mark. There are a number of reasons for that. But flawed former study models and recent trends among the masses toward consuming less fresh food and more processed junk are being cited as concerns.
Now there’s a growing resurgence of interest in vitamin D and the many body functions and health issues it influences. Today, we highlight a new study that reveals many of us who take ‘D’ supple-ments may be taking more than we need. Perhaps even more than is good for us.
What’s going on?
A group of researchers from several institutions of higher learning have published the results of a new study in the Journal of the Endocrine Society, indicating that, “[Previous] studies have linked vi-tamin D deficiency to a higher risk of hypertension, but evidence for the beneficial effect of vitamin D supplementation on blood pressure outcomes is inconclusive.” And their study has produced some surprising results.
Vitamin D deficiency is common worldwide, and has been associated with bone health, heart disease, immunological disorders, infections and cancer. Large-scale studies have shown that, “almost one out of four people [in the US] have vitamin D blood levels that are too low or inadequate for bone and overall health.”
What they did
The simple clinical study we’re looking at today involved a small cohort of 221 older subjects taking vitamin D supplements at either 600 IU/day or 3,750 IU/day over the course of a year. And monitored a range of their ‘markers’ for major health and wellness issues.
What they found
First and foremost, the team’s findings did confirm that supplementation provided some protection against high blood pressure. But other findings contrasted with conventional wisdom.
In particular, older people, obese subjects and those with chronic low vitamin D levels did benefit significantly from taking added ‘D’. But those taking higher doses than the currently-recommended 600 international units (IU) per day did not enjoy correspondingly greater benefits.
(It should be noted that very high doses of vitamin ‘D’ may be prescribed by physicians, for limited periods of time, as part of treatment regimes to address specific health concerns or conditions.)
The takeaway
The clear implication is, if you’re taking vitamin supplements specifically to help control your blood pressure, you’re wasting your money if you ‘over-supplement’. And you may be letting yourself in for some unpleasant, even dangerous side effects.
The US National Institutes or Health (NIH) advise: “Very high levels of vitamin D in your blood […] can cause nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, confusion, pain, loss of appetite, dehydration, excessive urination and thirst, and kidney stones. Extremely high levels of vitamin D can cause kidney failure, irregular heartbeat, and even death.”
My take
I take a moderate dose of extra vitamin D every day. As recommended by my doctor. And it’s reassur-ing to know the stuff really is helping me control my blood pressure. I am also reassured to know that my small supplement is probably better for me, overall, than a larger dose which might trigger un-wanted side effects.
And it was comforting to note that the new study did support parallel findings published this past summer which concluded, “Healthy adults under the age of 75 are unlikely to benefit from taking more than the daily intake of vitamin D recommended by the Institutes of Medicine (IOM) and do not require testing for vitamin D levels.”
If you’re unsure about whether current relationship with vitamin D and ‘D’ supplements is optimal for you, it’s probably time to bring the issue up with you doctor…
~ Maggie J.