Why Too Much Vitamin-D Bad For Heart?

While small amounts of Vitamin-D can be found in foods including fatty fish (mackerel, sardines and tuna), 80 to 90 percent of what the body requires can get from exposure to sunlight. But during winter season or in cold northern climates where there is a lack of sunlight, people are often encouraged to take supplements.

This is because a deficiency in Vitamin-D would lead to many medical disorders including osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke and hypertension, diabetes and metabolic syndrome, and cancer.

However, people who take too much supplement in Vitamin-D might get into troubles too. Researchers from Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah reported in November 2011 at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association that higher than normal levels of Vitamin-D could make the heart beat too fast and out of rhythm (atrial fibrillation).

By following 132,000 patients at a Utah based medical center, researchers found that the risk of newly developed atrial fibrillation jumped almost 3-fold when blood levels of Vitamin-D were high. The normal range for Vitamin-D is between 41 and 80 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dl). But the patients in the study had readings above 100 ng/dl.

People who are diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and are taking Vitamin-D supplements are advised to have their blood levels checked to ensure they are not taking excessive amount of Vitamin-D. According to researchers, the effects of high Vitamin-D on heart rhythms are reversible. The arrhythmias would also improve simply by cutting down the consumption.

As recommended by National Institute of Health, the daily intake of Vitamin-D for people age between 1 and 70 years old is 600 IUs (International Units), based on what is sufficient for bone health.

Vitamin-D can be obtained from several natural food sources include oily fish such as tuna or salmon. For instance, 3 ounces of cooked salmon contains 447 IUs of Vitamin-D per serving. Small amounts of Vitamin-D can also be found in cheese and egg yolks. The Department of Agriculture provides a comprehensive list of foods containing Vitamin-D.

Instead of assuming supplements sold over the counter are safe, people should check their blood level to make sure they are in the safe range simply because people absorb supplement differently.

Would Higher Intake of Vitamin-D Reduce Mortality Rate?

There is no doubt that Vitamin-D is good for our health. Recent research (February 2009) from Johns Hopkins University even suggested that the likelihood of dying could well be reduced by consuming higher amounts of Vitamin-D!

Studies have found that people who had a deficiency in Vitamin-D would have a 26 percent higher chance of dying, and Vitamin-D would reduce the mortality rate from almost every type of cancer including breast, colon and prostate. Meanwhile, research also indicated that Vitamin-D would help prevent heart disease, cardiovascular disease and kidney disease.

In fact, a doctor of internal medicine in United States did find 80 percent of his patients lacked Vitamin-D to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus in their body. He regularly screened his patients during examinations by a simple blood test, which could check for levels that should remain at 30 nanograms per milliliter or more.

In general, people with insufficient amount of Vitamin-D may have muscle pain or a feeling of achiness. Those who have severe and long-term deficiency of Vitamin-D would eventually lead to rickets, which refers to softening or weakening of the bones.

Although sunlight does help our body produce Vitamin-D, long hours of exposure in direct sunlight would actually raise the risk of skin cancer. As such, doctors usually recommend people who are short for Vitamin-D to take food and supplements to make up the deficiency.

The recommended amount by the United States Department of Agriculture is 200 International Units (IU) per day for people up to the age of 50. Nevertheless, most health experts felt that the correct amount should be at least 400 IU.

People are advised to take supplements and eat more foods rich in Vitamin-D. For example, an 8-ounce glass of fortified milk contains about 100 IUs of Vitamin-D. Other foods like salmon and tuna, fortified cereals, nuts, orange juice and dairy products are all rich in Vitamin-D. Meanwhile, people can also take supplements that are rich in Vitamin-D3 such as cholecalciferol.

How is Sunshine Vitamin Related to Heart Disease Prevention?

Vitamin-D is produced in the body when our skin is exposed to sunlight. That is why people also name it as ‘sunshine vitamin’. It can be found in milk and in fatty fish like salmon. It helps absorb calcium, and it is considered important for bone health. A deficiency of Vitamin-D can lead to osteoporosis for adults, and rickets in children.

Researchers from the University of Graz in Austria reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine on June 23, 2008 that people without enough Vitamin-D are at a higher risk of dying sooner than those with a higher amount of Vitamin-D.

As suggested by the Austrian researchers, the death rates from heart disease as well as any other causes varied greatly depending on Vitamin-D. Being considered as the latest to associate health benefits with Vitamin-D, the study showed that Vitamin-D did affect mortality irrespective of the first primary reason for death.

More than 3,200 people with an average age of 62 were involved in the study. These participants were scheduled for a heart examination between 1997 and 2000. During the 8-year follow-up program, the researchers found that the quarter of volunteers with the lowest levels of Vitamin-D were more likely to have died.

The risk was doubled for people with between 5 to 10 nanograms per milliliter of Vitamin-D in their blood, even after taking into account of heart disease, exercise and other conditions.

The study did not highlight what causes this effect, but a number of recent studies have already suggested that Vitamin-D might protect against cancer, peripheral artery disease and tuberculosis. In fact, United States researchers indicated just a week earlier (mid June 2008) that Vitamin-D might extend the lives of people who had colon and rectal cancer.

A consensus among doctors is that people should have at least 20 to 30 nanograms per milliliter of Vitamin-D in their blood. Most people, however, just do not have enough of it. People with low levels of Vitamin-D cannot make up for it safely just by sitting in the sun. Instead, they have to take supplements.

The new findings should prod doctors to be more aware of the problem, especially for those immobile, elderly and others who spend a great deal of time indoors. Meanwhile, the researchers also hope that the results would prompt people to perform measurements on Vitamin-D more frequently, especially for those populations at risk.

Vitamin-D Help Babies Stay Away From Type-1 Diabetes!

Also known as, “juvenile diabetes” previously, Type-1 diabetes is usually found in children and young adults. For people with Type-1 diabetes, their bodies do not produce insulin, which is a hormone that can convert sugar (or glucose), starches and other food into energy.

Incidentally, a person who has Type-1 diabetes can develop medical complications such as heart disease (cardiovascular disease), blindness, nerve damage and kidney damage.

In a recent paper published in May 2008 in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, researchers from Stockport National Health Service Foundation Trust and Booth Hall Children's Hospital in Manchester, United Kingdom reported that if small children were given supplemental Vitamin-D, they would be prevented from developing Type-1 diabetes later on.

Basing on a number of clues suggesting link between low Vitamin-D levels and Type-1 diabetes, the researchers reviewed all published research on Vitamin-D supplementation and diabetes risk, and found that infants given Vitamin-D supplement were 29 percent less likely to develop Type-1 diabetes than those who had not received supplements.

Nevertheless, they suggested that proper clinical trials should be carried out to determine the optimal dose and formulation of Vitamin-D, when and for how long Vitamin-D should be given to children.

Meanwhile, the researchers also advise parents to ask from their pediatricians for prescription of Vitamin-D supplements for their infants. Alternatively, they can also get the supplement over the counter, provided they adhere strictly to the manufacturers’ instructions.

Vitamin-D is produced in the skin when exposing in sunlight. A shortage of Vitamin-D can lead to a number of health problems.

As only little Vitamin-D is found in breast milk, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends Vitamin-D supplements for nursing infants. In United Kingdom, the public health authorities also urge parents to give their children Vitamin-D supplements for at least the first 2 years of their life.