There’s some exciting news for people over 60! A new research study reveals that taking Vitamin D supplements could help protect your heart.
In simpler words, these supplements might lower the chance of heart-related problems like heart attacks.
But before we dive deeper, let’s understand a few things.
Breaking Down Heart Disease
When we talk about heart disease or “Cardiovascular Disease” (CVD), we mean any issue related to the heart or blood vessels.
These diseases are the top reasons for deaths all over the world. With more people growing old and suffering from chronic diseases, heart problems are likely to increase.
Role of Vitamin D
What does Vitamin D have to do with heart disease? Well, some past studies noticed a connection between Vitamin D levels and the risk of heart disease.
But they couldn’t prove that taking Vitamin D supplements would actually prevent heart issues.
So, to clear up this confusion, a group of scientists in Australia decided to check if taking Vitamin D can change the rate of serious heart problems in older people.
The Australian Research
This study called the D-Health Trial, ran from 2014 to 2020. It included 21,315 Australians aged 60-84. Half of them got a monthly dose of 60,000 IU of Vitamin D in a pill. The other half got a “placebo” – a pill that doesn’t do anything.
They didn’t include people who had certain medical conditions or were already taking more than 500 IU/day of Vitamin D.
The scientists followed these people for around five years. They kept track of who had serious heart problems like heart attacks, strokes, or needed treatment to restore normal blood flow to the heart.
The Results
Out of all the people in the study, 1,336 had a major heart problem.
Less of those problems happened in the group that took the Vitamin D pill. Specifically, the Vitamin D group had a 9% lower rate of heart problems, which translates to 5.8 fewer events per 1,000 people.
They also had a 19% lower rate of heart attacks and 11% fewer needed treatments to improve heart blood flow. But, there was no change in the number of strokes between the two groups.
The Implications
This study tells us that 172 people need to take Vitamin D supplements every month to prevent one major heart problem.
It’s important to note that these findings might not apply to all people, especially those who already lack Vitamin D.
The researchers are careful to point out that their findings are not definitive. But, they do hint at a promising link between Vitamin D supplements and a reduced risk of heart problems.
It seems the protection could be stronger for those who are already taking heart medications. More research is needed to make this clearer.
In short, it may be too soon to say that Vitamin D supplements don’t affect heart disease risk. For now, the study adds a promising piece to the puzzle of how to protect our hearts as we age.
What’s Next?
While we wait for more research, this study suggests that a simple step like taking Vitamin D supplements could possibly help keep our hearts healthy as we get older.
So, it might not be a bad idea to discuss Vitamin D supplements with your doctor, especially if you’re over 60. It could be a small step with a potentially big payoff for your heart health!
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk, and Vitamin K2 could help reduce heart disease risk.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about how to remove plaques that cause heart attacks, and results showing a new way to prevent heart attacks, and strokes.
The study was published in The BMJ.
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