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# Vitamin D deficiency can cause high blood pressure
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/vitamin_d_deficiency_can_cause_high_blood_pressure_1104130956/
- Published: 2013-11-04T22:55:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:18:43.000Z
- Description: Mice fed a vitamin D deficient diet developed raised systolic and diastolic blood pressure, high serum renin and less urinary sodium excretion, and on a high-fat diet had two to eight times more atherosclerosis than vitamin D sufficient mice. PLoS One authors call replacement a potential therapy.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Vitamins, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

Monday Nov 4, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- Epidemiological studies have already associated vitamin D deficiency with increased risk for cardiovascular disease. But it still remains unknown whether vitamin D deficiency is a cause for high blood pressure.

Now a new study in PLos One confirmed that vitamin D deficiency can be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and there is evidence supporting such a causal relationship.

For the study, mice with diet-induced vitamin D deficiency were fed vitamin D deficient or sufficient diet for six weeks and then switched to a high fat vitamin D deficient or sufficient diet for six to eight weeks.

Mice that were fed the vitamin D deficient diet developed systolic and diastolic blood pressure, high serum renin and decreased urinary sodium excretion. And after switching to a vitamin d deficient diet, high blood pressure was reversed and renin was suppressed.

Also Sherry Weng and colleagues authors of the study found that on a high fat diet, vitamin D deficient mice suffered about 2 times greater atherosclerosis in the aortic arch and 2 to 8 times greater atherosclerosis in the thoracic and abdominal aorta, compared with vitamin D sufficient mice.

The researchers suggested "vitamin D deficiency activates both the renin angiotensin system and macrophage ER stress to contribute to the development of hypertension and accelerated atherosclerosis, highlighting vitamin D replacement as a potential therapy to reduce blood pressure and atherosclerosis." (David Liu)

Weng S, Sprague JE, Oh J, Riek AE, Chin K, et al. (2013) Vitamin D Deficiency Induces High Blood Pressure and Accelerates Atherosclerosis in Mice. PLoS ONE 8(1): e54625\. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0054625