High Doses of vitamin D result in lower blood pressure

A small trial suggests that administering a single high dose of vitamin D3 may help lower blood pressure in people with type 2 diabetes.

The study published in the Jul 2 2010 issue of Diabetologia showed diabete patients who received either 100,000 IU or 200,000 IU of vitamin D3 at the beginning of the study moderately reduced their blood pressure eight weeks later compared to those using a placebo.

Witham M.D. and colleagues from Ninewells Hospital in Dundee UK tested the effect of 100,000 and 200,000 IU of vitamin D(3) on endothelial function, blood pressure, and markers of glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes and lower than 100 nmol/L of 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

The researchers did not see any difference in endothelial function, insulin resistance, and glycosylated haemoglobin between the study groups and the control group by 8 weeks or 18 weeks.  Diabetes patients who using either dose of vitamin D lowered their systolic blood pressure compared to the placebo group at 8 weeks.

In addition to having the blood pressure lowering effect, vitamin D(3) apparently lowered B-type natriuretic peptide by 16 weeks in the diabetes patients.

B-type natriuretic peptide is a 32-amino-acidpolypeptide secreted by the evntricles of the heart and high levels can be found in patients with left ventricular dysfunction. This compound is indicative of the severity of symptoms and the prognosis in congestive heart failure.

Another recent study led by  Esther Krug and colleagues at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine suggests that vitamin D deficiency may result in poor diabetes control.

The study presented at ENDO 2010, the annual meeting of The Endocrine Society, in San Diego found more than 91 percent of participants deficient of vitamin D and only eight of 124 participants used vitamin D supplements.

By Jimmy Downs