Activated vitamin D (Calcitriol) substantially reduced elderly blood pressure in 6 weeks – Oct 2016

Effect of Calcitriol Supplementation on Blood Pressure in Older Adults.

J Nutr Gerontol Geriatr. 2016 Oct-Dec;35(4):243-252.
Bricio-Barrios JA Rd1, Palacios-Fonseca AJ MSc1, Del Toro-Equihua M PhD1, Sanchez-Ramirez CA PhD1.
1 Facultad de Medicina , Universidad de Colima , Colima , Mexico.

Recent studies suggest that vitamin D plays an important role in the control of blood pressure. Unfortunately, because older adults are more likely to have low 25-hydroxyvitamin-D [25(OH)D] levels, this study investigated whether calcitriol supplementation reduces blood pressure in older adults with hypertension. The design was a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial with 36 randomly assigned subjects (71.7 ± 10 years). Blood pressure and serum levels of 25(OH)D before and after calcitriol intervention (1,000 IU daily for 6 weeks; n = 22) or placebo (n = 23) for 6 weeks were analyzed.
At the end of the study, the calcitriol group presented a significant decrease of

• systolic blood pressure [20.25 mmHg (p = 0.001)] and
• diastolic blood pressure [7 mmHg (p = 0.01)],

compared with the placebo group.
In conclusion, 1,000 IU/day of calcitriol for 6 weeks efficiently reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels in this population of older adults presenting with high blood pressure (Clinical Trial Approbation NCT02047799).

PMID: 27897610 DOI: 10.1080/21551197.2016.1206499

Publisher wants $42 for the PDF