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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : October 20, 2015 9:34 AM IST
Researchers have claimed that calcium and vitamin D supplements after menopause can improve women's cholesterol profiles and much of that effect is tied to raising vitamin D levels. The study led by NAMS Board of Trustees member Peter F. Schnatz, DO, NCMP, is helping to settle those questions because it looked both at how a calcium and vitamin D supplement changed cholesterol levels and how it affected blood levels of vitamin D in postmenopausal women.
Daily, the women in the WHI CaD trial took either a supplement containing 1,000 mg of calcium and 400 IU of vitamin D3 or a placebo. This analysis looked at the relationship between taking supplements and levels of vitamin D and cholesterol in some 600 of the women who had both their cholesterol levels and their vitamin D levels measured.
The women who took the supplement were more than twice as likely to have vitamin D levels of at least 30 ng/mL (normal according to the Institute of Medicine) as were the women who took the placebo. Supplement users also had low-density lipoprotein (LDL the "bad" cholesterol) levels that were between 4 and 5 points lower. The investigators discovered, in addition, that among supplement users, those with higher blood levels of vitamin D had higher levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL the "good" cholesterol) and lower levels of triglycerides (although for triglycerides to be lower, blood levels of vitamin D had to reach a threshold of about 15 ng/mL).
The study has been published in the journal of The North American Menopause Society.
Vitamin D deficiency has become a pandemic with about 1 billion people all over the world having low levels of vitamin D. Although adequate levels of vitamin D can be produced by the body with regular exposure to sunlight, vitamin D insufficiency prevails in India due to several other factors like dietary habits, increasing pollution and genetics.
The fact that vitamin D alone can influence about 3000 genes of our body (out of the total 24000 genes) clearly signifies its importance in our system. Extensive studies have explored the role of vitamin D in health problems. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to over a hundred health issues till now. Here are top 10 health risks you might be facing due to low levels of vitamin D.
1. Diabetes: The number of diabetic people is increasing day by day and most of them might be deficient in vitamin D. Vitamin D is required to balance sugar levels in the blood by regulating the secretion of insulin. Research suggests that low levels of vitamin D increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Some studies have also found that the vitamin D also increases the risk of type 1 diabetes. Here are 10 tips to keep your blood sugar under control.
2. Hypertension: Indian research based on a large scale observational data showed that people having low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (a form of vitamin D) had a higher risk of developing hypertension; however, the correlation is not yet found. Here are someherbal remedies for hypertension.
3. Cardiovascular risk: A population-based study of 9,949 adults showed that vitamin D deficiency is significantly associated with increased risk of fatal cardiovascular events. The study considered adjustments for smoking, physical activity and other factors contributing to heart diseases and concluded that vitamin D deficiency increased the risk of fatal cardiovascular diseases (CVD) by 62%.
4. Flu: Do you suffer from recurrent cold and respiratory infections? Instead of blaming the seasonal changes, check your vitamin D levels. Vitamin D has an important role to play in activating the cells of your immune system which help to fight infections. Therefore people who are deficient in vitamin D are at an increased risk of developing recurrent infections. A study published in the Cambridge Journals showed that vitamin D deficiency predisposes children to respiratory infections. Here are some immune-boosting foods that you should include in your diet.
5. Anaemia: Anaemia occurs when your body does not have sufficient levels of red blood cells that carry oxygen to various parts of the body. But the main underlying reason for anaemia might be vitamin D deficiency. A study led by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center found that people having low levels of haemoglobin also had low levels of vitamin D. Although the exact role of vitamin D and anaemia is still under investigation, there is sufficient evidence linking anaemia to vitamin D insufficiency. Read more about the hazards of vitamin D deficiency...
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