This Common Supplement Can Save You From A Second Heart Attack
Around 20 percent of adults in the US take a daily vitamin D supplement. You may be familiar with it for its benefits to the bones and immune system, but that's not all it's good for. A recent study found that a personalized dose of vitamin D3 can lower your chances of a second heart attack by 50 percent.
What is vitamin D3?
Vitamin D3 is a crucial form of vitamin D that the body uses to support bones, the immune system, and overall well-being. Low levels of vitamin D have also been linked to mental health issues. It's found in food sources like fatty fish, egg yolks, and beef liver, and the body produces it naturally when the skin is exposed to UV rays from the sun. However, lifestyle changes, such as less time spent outside, have led to an increasing number of deficiencies. What's more, people in northern environments are more likely to require vitamin D supplements, making it one of the most common vitamins people take.
The link between vitamin D3 & heart health
A recent randomized clinical trial found that using a "target to treat" strategy, in which a patient's vitamin D levels are measured, and their supplement doses are adjusted accordingly, could reduce their chances of a second heart attack by half.
“We observed no adverse outcomes when giving patients higher doses of vitamin D3 supplementation, and to significantly reduce the risk of another heart attack,” cardiovascular epidemiologist and the main researcher on the study, Heidi May, said. “We’re excited with these results, but know we have further work to do to validate these findings.”
Vitamin D has anti-inflammatory effects, which help regulate blood pressure. Additionally, the fact that vitamin D receptors are found in heart cells suggests that it plays a direct role in heart functioning. An earlier report found that people with low vitamin D levels are at a higher risk of stroke.
While the link between vitamin D and heart health has long been well-known, previous trials using standard supplementation didn't show a decrease in heart attack risk. This prompted researchers to speculate that assigning precise doses based on each individual might be more effective.
“With more targeted treatment, when we checked exactly how supplementation was working and made adjustments, we found that patients had their risk of another heart attack cut in half," said May.
The study
The trial included 630 patients at Intermountain Health who had recently suffered a heart attack and followed them for two years. 85 percent of the heart attack patients enrolled in the trial had a vitamin D deficiency. All participants were given vitamin D supplements, but at different doses.
Participants were randomly separated into two groups: one group received standard vitamin D3 supplements, and the otherwase given vitamin D3 based on the levels in their bloodstream. Patients who had low vitamin D3 levels were tested every three months, and their doses were adjusted. The participants were then followed to see who had additional major cardiac events (MACE). 107 of the 630 patients experienced a MACE, but those who received targeted vitamin D doses had their risk reduced by half.
While these results are promising, a larger clinical trial needs to be done before the findings can be deemed conclusive.
