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Vitamin D And Cardiovascular Disease

Vitamin D and cardiovascular disease are two topics that often cross paths in health forums, as vitamin D is easily one of the world’s most popular health supplements, while cardiovascular disease is among the most common health conditions, with around 1 in 16 people worldwide currently suffering from it.

In 2019, cardiovascular disease was responsible for 30% of premature deaths. However, while there has always been a real sense that vitamin D may help with cardiovascular disease by improving your overall health, many people do not realise that it can help with the condition in a much more direct manner too.

Given just how dangerous and common cardiovascular disease is, we wanted to change that, and fast.

This is why I created the following article, which details every aspect of the relationship between vitamin D and cardiovascular disease. This should give you all of the information needed to fully convince you to up your vitamin D intake and enjoy all of the many cardioprotective benefits that come with doing so.

Table of Contents

What Is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is an essential, fat-soluble vitamin that is also known as cholecalciferol and “the sunshine vitamin”. Required for countless functions in the human body, studies show that an average person needs at least 10 to 20 mcg of vitamin D per day for their body to function at an optimal level (1).

Widely available in both foods and supplements, getting more vitamin D is incredibly easy and offers an extensive range of health benefits.

Its benefits include reducing inflammation and the risk of illness, improving bone, brain, heart, immune system, and male sexual health and functions, energy and testosterone production and levels, muscle strength, bone density, and blood sugar levels, and combating depression and many other health issues.

In this article, we will be focusing on examining how vitamin D supplementation can help prevent cardiovascular disease. If you want to learn more about any of its other benefits, though, we have covered them all in great depth in two previous articles, which you can find here and here.

What Is Cardiovascular Disease?

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a broad term that covers a class of health disorders that affect the heart and blood vessels, and it is one of the leading causes of death worldwide.

Common forms include Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), a common type that is caused by the buildup of plaque in the arteries that supply blood to the heart, Cerebrovascular Disease, which affects the blood vessels in the brain, and Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), which is caused by a narrowing or blockage of arteries in the limbs, usually the legs.

Other forms of cardiovascular disease include heart failure, where the heart can’t pump blood around the body effectively, arrhythmias and abnormal heart rhythms, Congenital Heart Disease, and Valvular Heart Disease, which is caused by damage or dysfunction in heart valves themselves (2).

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Vitamin D And Cardiovascular Disease: How Does Vitamin D Support Heart Health

Produces Anti-Inflammatory Effects

Vitamin D is known to possess potent anti-inflammatory properties, which are extremely beneficial for anyone combating cardiovascular disease, as chronic inflammation contributes to atherosclerosis (a plaque buildup in arteries).

This is largely due to vitamin D’s immunomodulatory properties, which help reduce the production of inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-alpha, IL-1, and IL-6, while improving the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines, like IL-1RA.

By modulating the production of these signaling proteins, vitamin D will keep inflammation levels to a minimum. This will protect the blood vessels from inflammatory damage and prevent cardiovascular disease, as well as many other inflammatory conditions, including all forms of arthritis (3).

Not only that, but vitamin D also affects the macrophages. Another type of immune cell in the human body, by improving the production of these anti-inflammatory molecules and reducing the release of inflammatory molecules, it will keep any inflammation that could harm the heart to a minimum (4).

Learn more about Vitamin D and inflammation here

Optimises Blood Pressure

Vitamin D helps to optimise your blood pressure by suppressing the production of renin, which is a key part of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) that controls blood pressure.

Studies show that low vitamin D levels can lead to overactivation of the RAAS, which has the potential to cause hypertension, a major CVD risk factor. By increasing your vitamin D intake, you can either prevent this from happening before it begins or work to rectify it if it has already (5).

Enhances Endothelial Function

Vitamin D may enhance endothelial function, with the endothelium being a thin layer of cells inside the lining of all blood vessels and the heart.

Improving the function of the endothelium enhances the ability of the blood vessels to relax and dilate. A healthy endothelium helps to maintain normal blood flow and pressure, which will prevent the onset of cardiovascular disease or help treat cases that are already underway (6).

Supports Calcium Regulation

Vitamin D is well known to help regulate calcium metabolism, with calcium being much harder for the body to absorb and use without the presence of sufficient vitamin D.

As calcium is one of the most important minerals to keep the heart healthy, a vitamin D deficiency may lead to vascular calcification, a condition where calcium builds up in artery walls. This can contribute to arterial stiffness and arteriosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, and various other heart health issues (7).

Keeping your vitamin D intake up is therefore imperative to prevent this from happening and keep your heart and blood vessels healthy.

Vitamin D and bone health: Everything you need to know

Aids Glycemic and Lipid Control

There is significant evidence to suggest that keeping your vitamin D levels high can improve insulin sensitivity, prevent insulin resistance, and may even have a very favorable effect on lipid profiles.

This would indirectly reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease or combat ongoing CVC cases, especially in people who suffer from conditions such as diabetes or metabolic syndrome (8).