Posted on 04/30/2009 11:10:34 PM PDT by neverdem
Vitamin D Tied to Hypertension, Hyperglycemia: Teens with the lowest vitamin D levels had low HDL, metabolic syndrome, and high triglicerides.
Low serum levels of vitamin D were linked to increased blood pressure, hyperglycemia, and obesity in an analysis of more than 3,500 American teenagers, a link previously seen in adults.
“Vitamin D plays a useful role in general human health. We are just now beginning to understand the role that vitamin D may play in cardiovascular health,” said Dr. Jared P. Reis, who presented a poster on the associations of vitamin D levels and cardiovascular risk factors at a conference on cardiovascular disease epidemiology and prevention sponsored by the American Heart Association.
His study analyzed data collected from 3,528 adolescents aged 12-19 during 2001-2004 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), run by the National Center for Health Statistics. Their average age was 15, and 52% were boys.
The average serum vitamin D level for all participants was about 25 ng/mL, but a quarter had a level less 15 ng/mL, while another quarter had a level greater than 26 ng/mL.
The teens in the quartile with the lowest vitamin D level had an 11% prevalence of hypertension, 2.3-fold more common than those with the highest vitamin D levels. A fasting serum glucose level of 100 mg/dL or greater (impaired fasting glucose) occurred in 6% of those with the lowest vitamin D levels, 2.5-fold more often than those with the highest levels. And the average body mass index (BMI) in the low-vitamin quartile was about 31 kg/m2. Adolescents in this subgroup were greater than fivefold more likely to have a BMI at the 95th percentile or higher, compared with teens in the highest vitamin D quartile. All of the differences between the lowest and highest vitamin D quartiles were statistically significant, reported Dr. Reis, a researcher in the School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.
Those in the lowest vitamin D quartile also had a significantly higher rate of low levels of HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, and metabolic syndrome, compared with the teens in the highest vitamin D quartile.
Vitamin D reduces activation of the renin-angiotensin system, thereby lowering blood pressure. It also reduces insulin release from pancreatic beta cells and raises insulin sensitivity. Low vitamin D levels produce opposite effects, activating renin-angiotensin to raise blood pressure, boosting insulin release, and lowering insulin sensitivity, he said.
Low vitamin D levels in blood are usually caused by lack of adequate sun exposure and poor diet. Another factor is obesity. Vitamin D is fat soluble, which means it tends to leave the blood and accumulate in fat, a process enhanced in obese people, Dr. Reis said.
Low dietary levels of vitamin D were linked to elevated percent body fat and visceral adipose tissue among teens in a separate talk given at the meeting. The study included 659 healthy teenagers, aged 14-19 years, who resided in or near Augusta, Ga. Their average age was 16, half were girls, and nearly half were African American. Vitamin D intake was calculated based on several 24-hour diet recall surveys for each participant.
The results showed an inverse relationship between the amount of vitamin D in the diet and both percent body fat and amount of visceral adipose tissue, reported Inger Stallmann-Jorgensen, a research dietitian at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta.
“Other researchers have reported that dairy intake appears to have a stronger, negative relation with body fat and visceral fat than calcium intake alone. Thus, other constituents in dairy foods, such as vitamin D” are potentially involved in the relationship, she said in an interview. It is possible that higher vitamin D intake enhances calcium absorption and raises calcium levels, an effect that could boost lipolysis and diminish lipogenesis, and might also lower the release of parathyroid hormone, which has been linked to weight gain. It's also possible that low dietary vitamin D is a marker for poor diet in general.
“Intervention studies giving vitamin D supplements to teens are needed to determine causality,” Ms. Stallmann-Jorgensen said.
Interesting. I recently had my vitamin D levels checked and they were extrememly low, so I was put on a Rx strength of vitamin D (50,000 units, once a week) for 6 weeks. The first thing I noticed was my pulse rate dropped significantly. I’m not hypertensive, but I’ll have to check my BP and see if it has come down too. I do have slightly elevated triglycerides that don’t seem to be related to diet, so next blood test I’ll be interested to see if that number also changes.
Try eating some more greens, or spend 20-30 minutes in the sun each day.
Sunlight = Vitamin D
Hmmmmm.
Ping (more vitamin D)
Vitamin D ping
interesting, wonder if they measured serum Ca levels as well
I eat a lot of vitamin D rich foods, but I have MS and that keeps me out of the sun (heat intolerance and MS go hand in hand.) They’re finding now that there seems to be a link between low vitamin D and MS. They’re not sure if it’s a chicken or egg thing...do we have MS because low vitamin D is a contributing factor, or does low vitamin D just go along with people that have MS avoiding the sun, etc.
Thnx!
A vast number of Americans are Vitamin D deficient. I’ve begun adding it to the standard screen when someone is admitted to the hospital under my care. This is true for many populations, but especially for blacks, who don’t frequently drink milk because of the lactose and who don’t get as much sunshine as whites.
It’s a small thing, though we end up sending a lot of patients home on Vitamin D supplements.
I read that vitamin d deficiency could be related to more colds in the winter (less sunshine). I started taking citrical with vitamin d, and making sure to drink at least 2 glasses of fortified skim milk.
For the first time, I did not get a cold that year. 2 years later now, and still no cold or flu. (knock on wood).LOL.
Epidemic Influenza And Vitamin D
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/51913.php
Drink Cod Liver Oil and eat Salmon
bookmark
Hmmmmm.
It's synthesised in the skin in the presensce of UV light.
Vitamin D deficiency linked to more colds and flu
scientificamerican.com
By Jordan Lite in 60-Second Science Blog
Feb 23, 2009 05:15 PM
Is sunshine more than just a home remedy for a cold? New research suggests it may be: In a study that will be published tomorrow, people with low levels of vitamin D — also known as the "sunshine vitamin" — were more likely to catch cold and flu than folks with adequate amounts. The effect of the vitamin was strongest in people with asthma and other lung diseases who are predisposed to respiratory infections.
People with the worst vitamin D deficiency were 36 percent more likely to suffer respiratory infections than those with sufficient levels, according to the research in this week's Archives of Internal Medicine. Among asthmatics, those who were vitamin D deficient were five times more likely to get sick than their counterparts with healthy levels. And the risk of respiratory infection was twice as high among vitamin D-deficient patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than in lung patients with normal levels of the vitamin.
All this means that healthy adults, who typically get two colds a year, might suffer an extra one if they're vitamin D deficient. For people with asthma or COPD, who get around four or five colds annually, lack of vitamin D might tack on additional infections, but exactly how many isn’t known, co-author Adit Ginde tells ScientificAmerican.com.
Excerpted - click here to continue
Glad to live in Texas
Best part..? It's absolutely free. Get that morning sun...
Texas and sailing my boat almost daily!
Low Vitamin D will also contribute to Higher levels of lead in the bloodstream.
There were studies done in the 70’s on lead poisoning - many kids only showed symptoms and high lead levels in the winter months when most did not go outside.
Nowadays, many kids don’t step foot outside.
Go Outside and Take your Flintstones.
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