Report Confirms Heart Health Protected by Vitamin D
Vitamin D is known to be essential for maintaining strong bones, a healthy immune system and protection against some types of cancer. Now, important new studies suggest there's another major benefit Vitamin D provides...It helps protect the heart.
Recent studies report treatment with activated vitamin D (Calcitrol-vitamin D3) can protect against heart failure. Their results appear in the July issue of the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology.
In the study, activated vitamin D prevented heart muscle cells from growing bigger - the condition, called hypertrophy, in which the heart becomes enlarged and overworked in people with heart failure. The treatments prevented heart muscle cells from the over-stimulation and increased contractions associated with the progression of heart failure.
About 5.3 million Americans have heart failure, a progressive, disabling condition in which the heart becomes enlarged as it is forced to work harder and harder, making it a challenge even to perform normal daily activities. Many people with heart disease or poorly controlled high blood pressure go on to experience a form of heart failure called congestive heart failure, in which the heart's inability to pump blood around the body causes weakness and fluid build-up in lungs and limbs. Many people with heart failure, who tend to be older, have been found to be deficient in vitamin D.
The researchers conclude vitamin D retards the progression of heart failure and protects the heart.
The research team has explored vitamin D's effects on heart muscle and the cardiovascular system for more than 20 years. A number of studies worldwide attest to the vitamin D-heart health link.
The heart health-vitamin D link research adds to the growing awareness that widespread vitamin D deficiency, thought to affect one-third to one-half of U.S. adults middle-aged and older, may be putting people at greater risk of many common diseases.
Pharmaceutical companies are now developing anti-cancer drugs using vitamin D analogs, which are synthetic compounds that produce vitamin D's effects. There's also increasing interest in using vitamin D or its analogs to treat autoimmune disorders.
In a wide range of tissues and cells in the body, activated vitamin D acts as a powerful regulating hormone. In the heart, the research team has revealed precisely how activated vitamin D connects with specific vitamin D receptors and produces its calming, protective effects. Those results appeared in the February issue of Endocrinology.
Sunlight causes the skin to make activated vitamin D. People also get vitamin D from certain foods and vitamin D supplements. Taking vitamin D supplements and for many people, getting sun exposure in safe ways, are certainly good options for people who want to keep their hearts healthy. However, it is important for people with heart failure or at risk of heart failure will likely require a prescription drug made of a compound or analog of vitamin D that will more powerfully produce vitamin D's effects in the heart for improvement in their symptoms.
Vitamin D analogs already are available for some conditions. One present drawback of these compounds is that they tend to increase blood calcium to undesirable levels, so efforts to develop a vitamin D- based drug to treat heart failure are moving a step closer to initial trials in people.
Funding for the study came from the National Institutes of Health.
University of Michigan Health System (2008, June 12). Vitamin D: New Way To Treat Heart Failure?
Recent studies report treatment with activated vitamin D (Calcitrol-vitamin D3) can protect against heart failure. Their results appear in the July issue of the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology.
In the study, activated vitamin D prevented heart muscle cells from growing bigger - the condition, called hypertrophy, in which the heart becomes enlarged and overworked in people with heart failure. The treatments prevented heart muscle cells from the over-stimulation and increased contractions associated with the progression of heart failure.
About 5.3 million Americans have heart failure, a progressive, disabling condition in which the heart becomes enlarged as it is forced to work harder and harder, making it a challenge even to perform normal daily activities. Many people with heart disease or poorly controlled high blood pressure go on to experience a form of heart failure called congestive heart failure, in which the heart's inability to pump blood around the body causes weakness and fluid build-up in lungs and limbs. Many people with heart failure, who tend to be older, have been found to be deficient in vitamin D.
The researchers conclude vitamin D retards the progression of heart failure and protects the heart.
The research team has explored vitamin D's effects on heart muscle and the cardiovascular system for more than 20 years. A number of studies worldwide attest to the vitamin D-heart health link.
The heart health-vitamin D link research adds to the growing awareness that widespread vitamin D deficiency, thought to affect one-third to one-half of U.S. adults middle-aged and older, may be putting people at greater risk of many common diseases.
Pharmaceutical companies are now developing anti-cancer drugs using vitamin D analogs, which are synthetic compounds that produce vitamin D's effects. There's also increasing interest in using vitamin D or its analogs to treat autoimmune disorders.
In a wide range of tissues and cells in the body, activated vitamin D acts as a powerful regulating hormone. In the heart, the research team has revealed precisely how activated vitamin D connects with specific vitamin D receptors and produces its calming, protective effects. Those results appeared in the February issue of Endocrinology.
Sunlight causes the skin to make activated vitamin D. People also get vitamin D from certain foods and vitamin D supplements. Taking vitamin D supplements and for many people, getting sun exposure in safe ways, are certainly good options for people who want to keep their hearts healthy. However, it is important for people with heart failure or at risk of heart failure will likely require a prescription drug made of a compound or analog of vitamin D that will more powerfully produce vitamin D's effects in the heart for improvement in their symptoms.
Vitamin D analogs already are available for some conditions. One present drawback of these compounds is that they tend to increase blood calcium to undesirable levels, so efforts to develop a vitamin D- based drug to treat heart failure are moving a step closer to initial trials in people.
Funding for the study came from the National Institutes of Health.
University of Michigan Health System (2008, June 12). Vitamin D: New Way To Treat Heart Failure?
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