New Study: Vitamin D Fights High Blood Pressure

Posted on by Jesse Santiano, M.D.

This article discusses a study showing that vitamin D and calcium supplementation can lower blood pressure in overweight older adults.

Contents hide
1 Key Research Findings
2 Study Overview
2.1 Research Design
2.2 Participant Demographics
3 Key Results
3.1 Overall Blood Pressure Effects
3.2 BMI-Specific Findings
3.3 Hypertensive Subgroup Results
4 Clinical Implications
4.1 Practice Recommendations
4.2 Patient Monitoring
5 Research Significance
6 Study Limitations and Future Directions
6.1 Limitations
6.2 Future Research Needs
7 Practical Applications
7.1 Healthcare Providers
7.2 Patients
7.3 Share this:
7.4 Like this:
7.5 Related

Key Research Findings

A groundbreaking one-year clinical trial revealed that vitamin D supplementation and calcium can significantly reduce blood pressure in overweight elderly individuals.

The study, published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society, challenges previous uncertainties about vitamin D’s role in blood pressure management.

Study Overview

Research Design

  • Duration: 1 year
  • Type: Multicenter, double-blind, randomized controlled trial
  • Participants: 221 ambulatory overweight elderly individuals
  • Intervention Groups:
    • Low-dose: 600 IU/day vitamin D3 + calcium
    • High-dose: 3750 IU/day vitamin D3 + calcium

Participant Demographics

  • Elderly population
  • Overweight/obese individuals
  • 143 participants with pre-existing hypertension

Key Results

Overall Blood Pressure Effects

  1. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased significantly in:
    • Both study populations
    • The high-dose group at 6 and 12 months
  2. The low-dose group showed similar trends but without statistical significance

BMI-Specific Findings

  1. Participants with BMI > 30 (obese):
    • Significant systolic BP reduction in both dosage groups
    • Significant diastolic BP reduction only in the high-dose group

Hypertensive Subgroup Results

  • Both systolic and diastolic BP decreased at 6 and 12 months
  • Effects observed with both vitamin D doses
  • Benefits independent of BMI levels

Clinical Implications

Practice Recommendations

  1. Consider vitamin D and calcium supplementation for:
    • Overweight elderly patients
    • Patients with hypertension
    • Individuals with a BMI > 30
  2. Dosage Considerations:
    • Higher doses may not provide additional benefits
    • Standard doses may be sufficient
    • Individual assessment needed

Patient Monitoring

  1. Regular blood pressure checks—Blood Pressure Monitor, AILE blood pressure machine Upper Arm Large Cuff(8.7″-16.5″ Adjustable), automatic high blood pressure cuff for home use
  2. BMI monitoring
  3. Vitamin D level assessment
  4. Calcium level monitoring

Elderly Obese Blood Pressure

Research Significance

This study adds valuable evidence to the vitamin D-blood pressure relationship by:

  1. Providing long-term data (12 months)
  2. Including a large sample size
  3. Using rigorous methodology
  4. Focusing on a specific at-risk population

Study Limitations and Future Directions

Limitations

  1. Focus on the elderly population may limit generalizability
  2. Combination with calcium makes it challenging to isolate vitamin D effects
  3. Limited dose range studied

Future Research Needs

  1. Studies in different age groups
  2. Investigation of vitamin D alone
  3. Broader dose range evaluation
  4. Mechanism of action studies

Practical Applications

Healthcare Providers

  1. Consider vitamin D status in hypertensive patients
  2. Evaluate supplementation in overweight elderly
  3. Monitor blood pressure response to supplementation

Patients

  1. Regular blood pressure monitoring
  2. Adherence to supplementation—Nature Made Extra Strength Vitamin D3 5000 IU (125 mcg)
  3. Lifestyle modifications
  4. Regular medical follow-up

Although unrelated to the study, previous studies have shown that adding Vitamin K2 allows Vitamin D3 to deposit calcium in the bones rather than the arteries. You can read about it at:

Vitamin D3: Its Valuable Role in Blood Sugar and Metabolism

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Reference:

  1. Maya Rahme, Laila Al-Shaar, Hani Tamim, Ghada El-Hajj Fuleihan. Blood Pressure Decreases in Overweight Elderly Individuals on Vitamin D: A Randomized Trial, Journal of the Endocrine Society, Volume 8, Issue 12, December 2024, bvae168, https://doi.org/10.1210/jendso/bvae168

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