Vitamin D and cardiovascular disease

Abstract:

In addition to regulating calcium and phosphorus metabolism, vitamin D is responsible for maintaining normal organ physiology and homeostasis. Vitamin D receptor and alpha 1 hydroxylase are present in the cells of cardiovascular system. Numerous preclinical and in-vitro studies have demonstrated positive effect of vitamin D on the cardiovascular system. Observational studies in humans have shown that reduced vitamin D levels are associated with a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. In contrary to expectations, large randomized clinical trials have not clearly demonstrated that vitamin D supplementation leads to a reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular disease and arterial hypertension. Therefore, current clinical guidelines do not recommend routine vitamin D supplementation to decrease cardiovascular risk.

Key words:
cardiovascular disease; cardiovascular mortality; hypertension; vitamin D