Serum Vitamin D Level and Prehypertension among Subjects Free of Hypertension.

Kidney Blood Press Res. 2011 Sep 21;35(2):106-113.
Sabanayagam C, Shankar A ashankar@hsc.wvu.edu, Somasundaram S.
Department of Community Medicine, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, W. Va., USA.

Background: Low serum vitamin D levels are associated with high blood pressure (BP). Prehypertension is a preclinical stage where primary prevention efforts have been recommended for delaying or preventing the onset of hypertension. However, the majority of studies examining the association between vitamin D and BP have not accounted for kidney function or systemic inflammation.

Methods: Participants of the 3rd National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey >20 years of age and free of hypertension (n = 9,215, 53.5% women) and clinical cardiovascular disease were examined. Serum vitamin D levels were analyzed as quartiles. Prehypertension (n = 3,712) was defined as systolic BP 120-139 mm Hg or diastolic BP 80-89 mm Hg.

Results: Lower serum vitamin D levels were found to be associated with prehypertension independent of potential confounders including body mass index (BMI), serum cholesterol, C-reactive protein and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Compared to the highest quartile of serum vitamin D (referent), the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of prehypertension associated with the lowest quartile was 1.48 (1.16-1.90; p trend <0.0001). This association persisted in subgroup analyses by gender, race-ethnicity and BMI.

Conclusion: Lower serum vitamin D levels are associated with prehypertension in a representative sample of US adults.

Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

PMID: 21934326

Following are highlights from Food Consumer description of the study

Prehypertension

• systolic pressure at 120 to 139 mm Hg or a
• diastolic pressure at 80 to 89 mm Hg.

Hypertension

• systolic pressure >140 mm Hg.
• diastolic pressure >90 mm Hg.

Prehypertension generally associated with

• overweight,
• a family history of hypertension,
• a sedentary lifestyle,
• eating high sodium foods,
• smoking,
• excessive alcohol intake

Prehypertension (30% of US population)

• 3X more likely to suffer a heart attack
• 1.7 X more likely to experience heart disease

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See also VitaminDWiki

• Hypertension and vitamin D many articles
• Does vitamin D deficiency cause hypertension? 2010 with PDF
• Systolic hypertension 4X more likely if low on vitamin D 14 years before – Nov 2010
• 11 ng less vitamin D increases hypertension probability by 14 percent – Nov 2010
• Hypertension more likely with less vitamin D - Dec 2010 all work at Kaiser Permanete
• Review of heart failure and vitamin D mechanisms – Jan 2011
• Vitamin D reduced blood pressure in random controlled trials – Nov 2010
• Systolic hypertension 4X more likely if low on vitamin D 14 years before – Nov 2010
• Hypothesis that lack of vitamin D increases blood pressure in blacks – July 2010
• Vitamin D and cardiovascular disease - Systematic review June 2010
• Hypertension and vitamin D review -2011.pdf if registered
• All items in category Hypertension and vitamin D
• Arterial stiffness reduced with vitamin D intervention – June 2011