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'Provocative' new evidence links Vitamin D
and other Nutrients to Heart Disease
Newswise — Emerging research suggests that nutritional
factors—including vitamin D, magnesium, and
others—may influence the risk and
progression of cardiovascular disease.
The new data on nutrition and heart disease were the topic
of a recent symposium and are summarized in
the July issue of The American Journal of
the Medical Sciences (AJMS), official
journal of the Southern Society for Clinical
Investigation (SSCI).
The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins,
a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading
provider of information and biomedical
intelligence for students, professionals,
and institutions in medicine, nursing,
allied health, pharmacy and the
pharmaceutical industry.
"The prospect that macro- and micronutrients may play an
important role in the appearance of diseases
of the cardiovasculature and their
progressive nature is both intriguing and
provocative," according to the article’s
preface by Dr. Karl T. Weber. The article
highlights key findings presented at the
SSCI's Annual Scientific Session in New
Orleans earlier this year.
The symposium was presented in conjunction with the SSCI's
Cardiovascular Club and the International
Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences/North
America.
New Evidence Links Vitamin D to
Cardiovascular Disease
Several recent studies have identified low
vitamin D levels as a common problem with
many adverse health effects, including
increased rates of cardiovascular disease.
People with vitamin D deficiency are at increased risk of
high blood pressure, heart failure, and
ischemic heart disease, according to Suzanne
Judd, MPH, PhD, of University of Alabama at
Birmingham and Dr. Vin Tangpricha of Emory
University.
In patients who already have heart disease, low vitamin D
may increase the risk of high blood pressure
or sudden death.
Vitamin D deficiency may also help to explain the apparent
relationship between osteoporosis-related
fractures and heart failure, according to
Dr. Syed H. Raza and colleagues.
Osteoporosis and heart failure are both common conditions
in older adults and share several risk
factors—including low vitamin D. Pending
further research to clarify this
relationship, patients with heart failure
need attention to their risks of
osteoporosis and fractures.
So far, however, there is very little information on
whether taking vitamin D supplements can
avoid or reduce these risks. Rebecca B.
Costello, PhD, of the National Institutes of
Health's Office of Dietary Supplements
outlines federal research initiatives to
understand the effects of vitamin D on
health.
She urges rigorous scientific studies to clarify the
relationship between vitamin D and
cardiovascular disease, as well as other
chronic diseases.
Other Nutrients May Also Affect
Cardiovascular Risk
Could folic acid help prevent heart disease?
Folic acid (vitamin B9) reduces levels of
the amino acid homocysteine, which affects
cardiovascular risk, according to Dr. Lydia
A. Bazzano of Tulane University.
However, studies have found that taking folic acid to
reduce homocysteine does not lower
cardiovascular risk in adults. Taking folic
acid during pregnancy does appear to reduce
the risk of congenital heart defects,
however.
Low levels of nutrient— magnesium—may lead to a "cascade"
of harmful inflammation-promoting events,
according to Dr. Jay H. Kramer of George
Washington University and colleagues.
This may lead to disease of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy),
increasing vulnerability to injury from
other forms of stress.
Especially with the high rate of magnesium deficiency in
the population, antioxidants and other
medications—in addition to magnesium
supplements—might help in reducing
cardiovascular disease.
Patients with heart failure—especially African
Americans—are prone to an imbalance of
several nutrients, according to a
presentation by Dr. German Kamalov and
colleagues.
The imbalance is accompanied by activation of certain
hormones, leading to inflammation and
wasting of soft tissues and bone.
The authors discuss approaches to recognizing this
nutritional imbalance, and suggest that a "polynutrient
supplement" including calcium, magnesium,
zinc, selenium, and vitamins D, B12, and B1
might play a role in heart failure
management.
Despite the tantalizing new evidence, "The role of
nutrition in the causation, prevention, and
treatment of cardiovascular diseases is
largely unexplored," Dr. Weber concludes.
"Investigator-initiated, hypothesis-driven research
conducted in a mode of discovery by a
multidisciplinary team of basic and clinical
scientists will undoubtedly open new
frontiers and pave the way by identifying
simple remedies that could advance the
practice of medicine."
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