Lack of Vitamin D High Blood Pressure Risk

Young white woman who experienced a decrease of vitamin D three times more likely to be stricken with high blood pressure in middle age compared with those with normal vitamin D level.

One study published in the American Heart Association meeting in Chicago, United States, adding the young woman into a growing list of people, including men, who may be infected with high blood pressure at least partly due to low levels of vitamin D.

The researchers from Michigan, who examined data from 559 women in 1992, found that women with low levels of vitamin D are more likely to be stricken with high blood pressure 15 years later in 2007.

"Our results indicate that early deterioration of vitamin D may increase the risk of long-term high blood pressure in women in middle age," said Floujaune Griffin, who did the study for the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Vitamin D, which can be obtained by the human body from sunlight and found in fatty fish, dairy products and food supplements, has long been known to contribute to teeth and bones healthy. But the decline, which is widespread in women, associated with cancer, immune system disorders and inflammatory diseases.

High blood pressure increases the chance of stroke, heart disease and other disorders of blood vessels and heart. Women in the study of blood pressure is living in Tecumseh, Michigan, and aged 24 to 44 years with an average age of 38 years, when the study began.

The researchers measured levels of vitamin D in the blood during the early and take note of the blood pressure once a year. In 2007, they compared notes systolic, the highest number on the results of high blood pressure indicates pressure inside blood vessels when the heart beats.

More than 10% of women who experienced a decline of vitamin D have high blood pressure in 2007, while 3.7% in women with adequate levels. When the study began, 5.5% of women who experienced a decline of vitamin D levels also had high blood pressure, while 2.8% in women with vitamin D to normal.

The study was funded by the U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

Nearly half the population around the world have high levels of vitamin D lower and the researchers say the problem gets worse when people spend more time in the house. African Americans seem to have very high risk because dark skin can be made harder for the body to absorb ultraviolet light.