Posted on 04/20/2008 7:37:31 AM PDT by blam
Vitamin D May Protect Against Peripheral Artery Disease
People obtain vitamin D by making it themselves (through skin exposure to sunlight), by ingesting foods such as fish and fortified dairy products that contain vitamin D, or by taking dietary supplements. (Credit: iStockphoto/Nikolay Suslov)
ScienceDaily (Apr. 20, 2008) — People with low vitamin D levels may face an increased risk for peripheral artery disease (PAD), according to researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.
PAD is a common disease that occurs when arteries in the legs become narrowed by fatty deposits, causing pain and numbness and impairing the ability to walk. PAD affects about eight million Americans and is associated with significant disease and death, according to the American Heart Association.
People obtain vitamin D by making it themselves (through skin exposure to sunlight), by ingesting foods such as fish and fortified dairy products that contain vitamin D, or by taking dietary supplements. Adequate vitamin D levels are necessary for bone health, but scientists are only beginning to explore vitamin D's connection to cardiovascular disease.
"We know that in mice, vitamin D regulates one of the hormone systems that affects blood pressure," said Dr. Michal Melamed, lead author of the study and assistant professor in the departments of Medicine and Epidemiology & Population Health at Einstein. "Since cells in the blood vessels have receptors for vitamin D, it may directly affect the vessels, although this has not been fully worked out."
To see whether vitamin D might influence PAD, Dr. Melamed and colleagues analyzed data from a national survey measuring vitamin D levels in the blood of 4,839 U.S. adults. The survey tested these people using the ankle-brachial index, a screening tool for PAD that measures blood flow to the legs. Also measured were other risk factors for PAD such as cholesterol levels, blood pressure and presence of diabetes.
The researchers found that higher levels of vitamin D were associated with a lower prevalence of PAD. Among individuals with the highest vitamin D levels --more than 29.2 nanogram per milliliter (ng/mL) -- only 3.7 percent had PAD. Among those with the lowest vitamin D levels -- less than 17.8 ng/mL -- 8.1 percent had PAD.
When the researchers adjusted for age, sex, race and co-existing health problems, they found that PAD was 64 percent more common in the group with the lowest vitamin D levels compared with the group with the highest levels. For each 10 ng/mL drop in vitamin D level, the risk for PAD increased by 29 percent.
While these findings suggest a role for vitamin D in preventing PAD, Dr. Melamed cautions that they don't necessarily show that vitamin D truly deserves the credit. It's possible, she says, that vitamin D levels are a marker for other health practices such as eating a healthy diet. She notes that proving a cause-and-effect relationship between vitamin D and protection against PAD will require a large randomized clinical trial in which some people receive vitamin D supplementation while others do not.
The scientists reported their findings at the American Heart Association's Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology Annual Conference 2008. Other researchers involved in the study were Dr. Paul Muntner at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Dr. Paolo Raggi at Emory University School of Medicine.
Dr. Melamed's research was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Disease of the National Institutes of Health.
Adapted from materials provided by Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
But what about your prostate? **eye roll***
And colon cancer, too.
Eggs are okay to eat, now?
I take 5,000 IU of Vitamin D3 every day, under the supervision of a DO.
That looks much more correct to me.
It’s that wonderful sun, again.
Kids are being diagnosed with vitamin D deficiencies. Mothers are being told that milk is bad and to cover their kids in sun block.
http://endocrine-disorders.health-cares.net/rickets.php
My mother used to make us go outside to play and locked the doors to keep us out. LOL....I grew up strong and healthy. Guess she knew what she was doing after all.
My mom said the sunshine and soap would heal all my scraped kness and elbows. Never had an infection.
It seemed to work on all five of my kids too.
Isn't that the definition of "where the sun don't shine"? Case closed.
The alternate hypothesis, that low vitamin D serum levels are a early symptom of this disease wasn't discussed, and probably wasn't examined. They've fallen into the 'post hoc propter hoc' logical fallacy.
LOL.....I was just at the park yesteday and was passing on that same info. Let the sunshine in! oh, no! now I am getting an earworm.........
Vitamin H is also good for circulatory problems.
Some idjit will come along and post a Helen Thomas pic...
Like it’s new and exciting and funny...
I imagine it’s mostly newbies doing it now. Most of the vets are sick and tired of it.
Here's the lesson we can all learn from this: Parents, let your kids get some sun. Rickets effects blacks because of the pigmentation in their skin, which blocks the sun's rays. Growing bodies need proper nutrition and the only effective way to get vitamin D is from the sun. Let your kids get some morning or late afternoon sun without sunblock everyday. You can supplement, but it's much better to get it naturally. If you do supplement, use the D3.
Just about everyone should supplement.
Unless you live south of San Diego or thereabouts, there is a good 3-6 months a year when the sun is simply not high enough in the sky for the UVB to get through.
No UVB, no Vit D.
Me too.
My Doc prescribed 1,000 though with blood tests to check range.
Everyone....best to get your Vit D tested....Vit D 25(OH)hydroxy test....
We live in western Washington. We had only seventeen days of sunshine the entire summer, last year, and I’m betting that we have a rerun of that this year.
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