Potential Beneficial Effects of Vitamin D in Coronary Artery Disease.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine if vitamin D could serve as an add-on treatment for coronary artery disease (CAD) by examining its effects on cardiovascular health and inflammation.
Results Summary
Epidemiological studies found an inverse association between vitamin D levels and hypertension prevalence, as well as reduced cardiac injury post-MI. In vitro trials suggested vitamin D suppresses the NF-κB pathway, potentially reducing vascular inflammation, but RCTs showed mixed results, with possible benefits for diabetic subgroups.
Population
General population with focus on CAD and diabetic subgroups.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
vitamin D | decrease | prevalence of essential hypertension | large-scale epidemiological studies | - | significant inverse association | #1 |
vitamin D | decrease | cardiac injury after acute myocardial infarction (MI) | epidemiological data | - | inversely correlated | #2 |
vitamin D | decrease | intracellular NF-κB pathway | in vitro trials | - | actively suppress | #3 |
vitamin D | decrease | CAD progression | in vitro trials | - | decrease | #4 |
vitamin D | decrease | vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis | - | - | decrease | #5 |
vitamin D supplementation | no change | - | randomized controlled trials | - | ambiguous results | #6 |
vitamin D supplementation | increase | - | subgroups of diabetic patients | - | benefit more | #7 |
calcitriol | increase | atherosclerosis and CAD | some studies | - | exerts more potent beneficial effects | #8 |
Vitamin D plays a pivotal role in bone homeostasis and calcium metabolism. However, recent research has indicated additional beneficial effects of vitamin D on the cardiovascular system. This review aims to elucidate if vitamin D can be used as an add-on treatment in coronary artery disease (CAD). Large-scale epidemiological studies have found a significant inverse association between serum 25(OH)-vitamin D levels and the prevalence of essential hypertension. Likewise, epidemiological data have suggested plasma levels of vitamin D to be inversely correlated to cardiac injury after acute myocardial infarction (MI). Remarkably, in vitro trials have showed that vitamin D can actively suppress the intracellular NF-κB pathway to decrease CAD progression. This is suggested as a mechanistic link to explain how vitamin D may decrease vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis. A review of randomized controlled trials with vitamin D supplementation showed ambiguous results. This may partly be explained by heterogeneous study groups. It is suggested that subgroups of diabetic patients may benefit more from vitamin D supplementation. Moreover, some studies have indicated that calcitriol rather than cholecalciferol exerts more potent beneficial effects on atherosclerosis and CAD. Therefore, further studies are required to clarify these assumptions.