Vitamin D and estrogen have already shown well-documented results in improving bone health in women.
In a study from China, scientists found that this same combination could help prevent metabolic syndrome, a constellation of conditions that increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes in older women.
Metabolic syndrome has emerged as a major public health concern, affecting 30% to 60% of postmenopausal women worldwide.
Metabolic syndrome increases strongly as women age and appears to be directly linked to estrogen loss in older women.
This has led some researchers to recommend estradiol treatment for women who are fewer than 6 years postmenopausal as a means of preventing heart disease.
Similarly, vitamin D has been associated with several markers of metabolic syndrome, including obesity, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.
Supplementation with vitamin D has been shown to reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome over a 20-year follow-up.
In the study, researchers tested 616 older women aged 49 to 86 years who were not taking estrogen and vitamin D/calcium supplements at the beginning of the trial.
They found there was a positive correlation between vitamin D and estradiol.
Specifically, higher vitamin D was linked to better blood fat levels, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. Estradiol was negatively associated with cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure.
These results suggest a combined role of vitamin D and estradiol deficiency in developing metabolic syndrome in older women.
The Endocrine Society recommends vitamin D levels of 30 ng/mL for older women.
Whether adequate levels of vitamin D improve heart or cognitive benefits needs to be tested in future research.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how to reverse heart failure with diet, and Vitamin C may help treat heart rhythm problem.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about 15 foods for a healthy heart, and results showing your walking pace may impact your heart failure risk.
The study was published in Menopause.
Copyright © 2022 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
