Vitamin D Supplements Can Help Reduce Heart Risk
Posted on: 03/Nov/2015 4:16:41 PM
Scientists have found that intake of vitamin D supplements regularly can improve exercise performance and bring down the risk of heart disease.
Vitamin D, unlike other vitamins, is a vitamin and a hormone as well. It helps maintaining appropriate calcium and phosphate level in the blood. It largely helps in the formation of teeth and bone formation.
Oily fish and egg are rich sources of vitamin D, but the vitamin obtained from these sources will not suffice. This is obtained by getting exposed to ultraviolet B rays present in sunlight.
According to earlier studies, vitamin D plays a vital role in blocking the action of enzyme 11-beta HSD1 which helps in generating cortisone (stress hormone). Increased level of cortisol will give rise to surge in blood pressure by narrowing blood vessels and restricting arteries, and by stimulating the kidney to retain water content within. As vitamin D has got properties to reduce cortisol levels, it can theoretically help in improving exercise performance and bring down the risk factor of cardiovascular disease.
The researchers from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh studied 13 healthy adults all of whom matched by age. They were given 50 mg of vitamin D supplement every day or placebo for about 2 weeks time period.
Compared to those who were given placebo, vitamin D consuming adults were found to have lower blood pressure. Further, they had lower levels of cortisol in their urine.
On conducting a fitness test on this group of individuals, those who took vitamin D supplements were able to cycle 6.5 km in 20 minutes, whereas they could just cycle for 5 km when the experiment began.
Apart from being able to cycle for 30 percent distance, they also recorded lower signs of physical exertion.
