Vitamin D And Calcium Keep Blood Pressure Down
By AliciaMarie BelchakNEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Taking a vitamin D supplement along with calcium may be a more effective way for older women to lower their blood pressure than taking calcium alone, German researchers report.
In their study of 148 women who were at least 70 years old, those who took calcium and vitamin D reduced their systolic blood pressure, lowered their heart rates and reduced levels of parathyroid hormone more than women who were treated with calcium alone.
``A short-term supplementation with vitamin D and calcium is more effective in reducing...blood pressure than calcium alone,´´ Dr. Helmut W. Minne and colleagues from the Institute of Clinical Osteology Gustav Pommer in Hamburg, Germany, write in the May issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
In the study, about half of the group of elderly women was treated with 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium plus 800 international units (IU) of vitamin D daily, and about half took only 1,200 mg of calcium per day. Women over 70 years should consume 1,200 mg of calcium daily and 600 IU (15 micrograms) of vitamin D daily, according to government guidelines.
After 8 weeks, 81% of women taking both nutrients reduced their systolic blood pressure by at least 5 mm/Hg, compared with 47% of women taking only calcium. Systolic pressure, the top number in a blood pressure reading, measures pressure when the heart contracts. Similarly, 51% of women who took calcium and vitamin D experienced a decrease in heart rate by at least 5 beats per minute, compared with 18% of those treated with calcium alone, the report indicates.
The researchers explain that vitamin D is used by the parathyroid glands, four pea-sized structures that sit on the thyroid gland in the neck. These glands secrete a hormone that regulates the body's calcium levels. Calcium, in turn, helps to regulate blood pressure, although the mechanism is not completely understood, Dr. Lawrence Krakoff, a past president of the American Society of Hypertension, told Reuters Health. Krakoff stressed that the findings are preliminary and need to be repeated before new recommendations regarding vitamin D and calcium can be made.
``This treatment is not a substitute for blood pressure medications that patients may be taking and they should not discontinue their treatments just because they take calcium and vitamin D,´´ Krakoff said.
SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
