Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on Arterial Stiffness

HealthDay News — For overweight African Americans with vitamin D deficiency, arterial stiffness is improved by vitamin D₃ supplementation in a dose-response manner, according to a study published online in PLOS ONE.

Anas Raed, MD, from Augusta University in Georgia, and colleagues examined the dose-response effects of vitamin D₃ supplementation on arterial stiffness in 70 overweight African Americans with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels ≤20 ng/mL.

Participants were randomized to monthly supplementation of 18,000 IU (~600 IU/d), 60,000 IU (~2,000 IU/d), or 120,000 IU (~4000 IU/d) of vitamin D₃ or placebo for 16 weeks (17, 18, 18, and 17 participants, respectively).

The researchers observed a dose-response increase in serum 25(OH)D concentrations between the groups with vitamin D₃ supplementation. For carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV), there was a significant downward linear trend, with mean changes in carotid-femoral PWV of 0.13 m/s for placebo, and 0.02, −0.11, and −0.70 m/s for the 600, 2000, and 4,000 IU/d groups, respectively. For carotid-radial PWV, the findings were similar, with mean changes of 0.24 m/s for placebo, and 0.09, −0.57, and −0.61 m/s for the 600, 2000, and 4000 IU/d groups, respectively.

“Arterial stiffness was improved by vitamin D₃ supplementation in a dose-response manner in overweight African Americans with vitamin D deficiency,” the authors wrote.

Reference

Raed A, Bhagatwala J, Zhu H, et al. Dose responses of vitamin D₃ supplementation on arterial stiffness in overweight African Americans with vitamin D deficiency: a placebo controlled randomized trial. PLoS One. 2017;12(12):e0188424.