Photo Credit: Helin Loik-Tomson
Among older people who are overweight, vitamin D supplementation administered with calcium reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), according to a study published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. Ambulatory older adults who are overweight (N=221) received a calcium dose and oral vitamin D3 at 600 or 3,750 IU/day equivalent. At six and 12 months, the overall group and the high-dose group experienced significant decreases in SBP and DBP. SBP decreased significantly in both groups among people with a BMI of more than 30 kg/m2. In the high-dose group only, a significant decrease in DBP was observed. In 143 participants with hypertension, there was a decrease in SBP and DBP at 6 and 12 months, independent of BMI levels and both vitamin D levels. BMI and baseline SBP significantly predicted SBP at 6 and 12 months, but vitamin D dose did not in multivariate models.
