Free from the sun, vitamin D delivers a natural source for one of the hormones essential to our bodies, especially the bones. But when you’re down on this essential nutrient, it’s not only your bones that could suffer, but also your cardio health.

The study, which is published in European Heart Journal, shows that people with vitamin D deficiency are more likely to suffer from heart disease and higher blood pressure, than those with normal levels of vitamin D. For participants with the lowest concentrations the risk of heart disease was more than double that seen for those with sufficient concentrations.

Low concentrations of vitamin D are common in many parts of the world, with data from the UK Biobank showing that 55 per cent of participants have low levels of vitamin D (<50 nmol/L) and 13 per cent have severe deficiency (<25 nmol/L).

Low levels of vitamin D are recorded by an estimated 23 per cent of people in Australia, 24 per cent of people in the US, and 37 per cent of people in Canada.

Release date: 06 December 2021
Source: University of South Australia

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