Higher Vitamin D Supports Cardio Health

GRAZ, Austria— Low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D are independently associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, according to a recent study (Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(12):1340-49). The prospective cohort study included 3,258 consecutive male and female patients scheduled for coronary angiography at a single tertiary center. Quartiles were formed according to 25-hydroxyvitamin D and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D levels within each month of blood drawings. The main outcome measures were all-cause and cardiovascular deaths. During a median follow-up period of 7.7 years, 737 patients (22.6 percent) died, including 463 deaths from cardiovascular causes. Multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for patients in the lower two 25-hydroxyvitamin D quartiles were higher for all-cause mortality and for cardiovascular mortality compared with patients in the highest 25-hydroxyvitamin D quartile. Similar results were obtained for patients in the lowest 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D quartile. These effects were independent of coronary artery disease, physical activity level, Charlson Comorbidity Index, variables of mineral metabolism, and New York Heart Association functional class. Low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were significantly correlated with variables of inflammation, oxidative burden and cell adhesion.