Research reported on March 11, 2009 at the American Heart Association's 49th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention, held in Palm Harbor, Florida, revealed an association between reduced levels of vitamin D and a greater risk of hypertension, high blood sugar, and metabolic syndrome in teens. Metabolic syndrome is characterized by increases in waist circumference, blood pressure, serum triglycerides and blood glucose, and/or a decrease in high density lipoprotein cholesterol. Having several of these factors places one at a greater risk of developing heart disease or diabetes later in life.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health post-doctoral research fellow Jared P. Reis, PhD, and colleagues analyzed data from 3,577 boys and girls aged 12 to 19 who were participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The team found that subjects whose blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were among the lowest 25 percent of participants had a 2.36 times greater adjusted risk of high blood pressure, and a 2.54 times greater risk of elevated blood sugar than those whose levels were in the highest 25 percent. Metabolic syndrome risk was 3.99 times greater in those whose vitamin D levels were low.
The study also found that Mexican American and African American teens had lower levels of vitamin D than Caucasians. While Caucasian teens had average vitamin D levels of 24.8 nanograms per milliliter, levels of the vitamin in Mexican and African Americans averaged 21.5 and 15.5 nanograms per milliliter.
"We showed strong associations between low levels of vitamin D and higher risk of high blood pressure, hyperglycemia and metabolic syndrome among adolescents, confirming the results of studies among adults," Dr Reis concluded. "This is an exciting time; since we are just now beginning to understand the role that vitamin D may play in cardiovascular health."
—D Dye
March 09, 2009
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