Vitamin D would prevent heart attacks

Known for its bone and skin benefits, vitamin D may also reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. A new study by Australian researchers reveals that taking vitamin D monthly could even prevent heart attacks in people over 60.

This isn’t the first time scientists have looked into the effects of vitamin D on cardiovascular health, and so far no evidence has been provided for a possible link between these two phenomena. But this is the largest essay ever written on the subject. A team of Australian researchers set out to determine whether the monthly vitamin D intake of older adults could have an impact on the rate of cardiovascular events and, more specifically, on the rate of heart attacks and cerebrovascular accidents.

Posted in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), the study involved 21,315 Australians aged 60-84 who received a dose of vitamin D or an oral placebo at the start of each month, for up to five years. In the end, more than 80% of study participants said they took at least 80% of the suggested doses during the study. The researchers then compared and analyzed participants’ data on their potential hospital admissions or deaths to determine whether they had suffered heart attacks and strokes or had undergone coronary revascularization.

Fewer cardiovascular events with vitamin D

As a result, the researchers say the rate of major cardiovascular events was 9% lower in the group of participants who consumed vitamin D, equating to 5.8 fewer events for every 1,000 participants. More specifically, the heart attack rate was 19% lower in the vitamin D group than in the placebo group, and the coronary revascularization rate was 11%. On the other hand, the scientists point out that they have not noticed any difference in the stroke rate.

Be careful, however, to take into account the limitations of this scientific study, if only because the researchers specify that the effects “seemed” more convincing in the participants who, at the beginning of the study, underwent a treatment aimed at reducing the risk of cardiovascular events , such as statins. They also mention that the difference in absolute risk was small between the two groups, although the size of the study suggests a link between vitamin D intake and heart attack risk.

” Meanwhile, these findings suggest that conclusions that vitamin D supplementation does not alter cardiovascular disease risk are premature. “say the authors of the study. And to add that further work is now warranted to determine whether this protective effect is actually more pronounced in people already on treatment.