Low Vitamin D May Increase Heart Attack Risk

Simply optimizing vitamin D may be 40 times more effective at preventing heart attack deaths than cholesterol lowering medications—without the cost or toxicity!

In a study of 3,258 subjects (average age 62 years) suspected of having heart disease, those with low vitamin D levels had over twice the risk of dying from heart attack—or dying period—over the ~7-8 years they were followed in the study. The study compared the 50% of subjects with the lowest levels to the 25% with the highest vitamin D levels.

In addition, low levels of vitamin D were associated with higher levels of inflammation chemicals in the blood (C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 levels), and lower levels of the antioxidant glutathione. These are problems for both those with heart attacks and people with CFS/fibromyalgia.

Unfortunately, the RDA (a.k.a. "Ridiculous Dietary Allowance") for vitamin D is ~ 400 units daily. Because of the deadly advice to avoid sunshine, which makes 90% of our vitamin D, deficiency is now rampant. Vitamin D deficiency is estimated to cause over 85,000 unnecessary American cancer deaths yearly—in addition to many other problems (see Vitamin D Could Save Your Life!). The proper advice? Avoid sunburn—not sunshine!

I recommend 1,000-2,000 units of vitamin D a day, with higher levels in cancer patients (doses of 10,000+ units a day are very safe, unless you have high blood calcium from cancer in the bones, in which case check with your physician). A good multivitamin powder has 600 units (high for multi vitamins) and we will be increasing the amount in the powder soon. For those with loss of bone density (osteoporosis), a supplement that supports healthy bones contains 4,000 units of vitamin D daily, along with many nutrients that improve bone health dramatically. Vitamin D is also easy to find in health food stores. Meanwhile, get some sun! Lying on the beach for 15-30 minutes produces ~ 15,000-30,000 units of vitamin D.

References

"Independent association of low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin dand 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin d levels with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality," Dobnig H, Pilz S, et al, Arch Intern Med, 2008; 168(12): 1340-9.