Could vitamin D deficiency increase the risk of heart disease?

Worldwide, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) Source are one of the leading causes of death. Every year, an estimated 17.9 million people around the world die as a result of complications from heart diseases. For context, this means that CVDs are responsible for 32% of all deaths globally.

Prior studies Source show that various factors — such as several health conditions, age, family history, diet, and lifestyle — combine to influence the risk of developing CVD.

As an essential micronutrient, vitamin D is well-known for its role in calcium homeostasis and bone health. Beyond skeletal health, low vitamin D status has also been associated with higher risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality.

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Abstract

Aims

Low vitamin D status is associated with a higher risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Although most existing linear Mendelian randomization (MR) studies reported a null effect of vitamin D on CVD risk, a non-linear effect cannot be excluded. The researchers set out to investigate whether there is a relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, or 25(OH)D, and the risk of developing CVD.

Methods and results

The non-linear MR analysis was conducted in the UK Biobank with 44 519 CVD cases and 251 269 controls. Blood pressure (BP) and cardiac-imaging-derived phenotypes were included as secondary outcomes. Serum 25(OH)D concentration was instrumented using 35 confirmed genome-wide significant variants.

The researchers also estimated the potential reduction in CVD incidence attributable to correction of low vitamin D status. There was a L-shaped association between genetically predicted serum 25(OH)D and CVD risk where CVD risk initially decreased steeply with increasing concentrations and leveled off at around 50 nmol/L. A similar association was seen for systolic and diastolic BP.

Correction of serum 25(OH)D level below 50 nmol/L was predicted to result in a 4.4% reduction in CVD incidence.

Conclusion

Vitamin D deficiency can increase the risk of CVD. Burden of CVD could be reduced by population-wide correction of low vitamin D status.