Vitamin D and Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, medically known as hypertension, can significantly increase one’s risk of developing chronic, debilitating medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and other fatal diseases. By reducing blood pressure, the risk of getting these diseases also decreases. There is strong scientific evidence that vitamin D has potent anti-hypertensive properties that can help ward off diseases associated with high blood pressure:
1. Low levels of vitamin D are strongly linked with hypertension. [606-626]
2. One study found that for every increase in vitamin D supplementation and vitamin D levels in the body, systolic blood pressure declined. [627]
3. In people who have low levels of vitamin D, supplementation appears to be more effective in lowering blood pressure. [628]
4. In hypertensive patients, vitamin D supplementation at a dose of 25,000 IU per week for 8 weeks reduces the risk of hypertension. [629]
5. Higher levels of vitamin D are associated with a significant reduction in blood pressure. [630-634]
6. In patients with type 2 diabetes, vitamin D supplementation reduces blood pressure by improving blood vessel function. [635]
7. In patients with vitamin D insufficiency, supplementation significantly reduces central systolic blood pressure. [636]
8. In African-American hypertensive patients, vitamin D supplementation at a dose of 200,000 IU weekly for 3 weeks decreases systolic blood pressure by 9%. [637]
9. The use of active vitamin D compounds in hypertensive patients is associated with a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure. [638]
10. In patients with high blood pressure, oral vitamin D supplementation causes a reduction in systolic blood pressure. [639-640]
11. In patients with high calcium levels, treatment of 1 µg alphacalcidol, a synthetic analogue of active vitamin D, for 6 months reduces diastolic blood pressure. [641-642]
12. In patients with untreated mild hypertension, vitamin D treatment through short-term ultraviolet B exposure leads to lower blood pressure. [643-644]
13. In elderly women, vitamin D3 supplementation improves blood pressure. [645]
14. In men, vitamin D supplementation helps keep blood pressure within normal range. [646]
15. In patients with vitamin D deficiency, weekly administration of 50 000 IU of oral vitamin D for 8 weeks as an adjunct supplement of antihypertensive drugs significantly reduces blood pressure. [647]
16. In an elderly community-based population, intramuscular injections of 100,000 IU of vitamin D significantly lower blood pressure by improving arterial stiffness. [648]
17. In dark-skinned patients, vitamin D supplementation appears to reduce systolic blood pressure. [649]
18. High dose of vitamin D3 (two capsules of 20,000IU/week) appears to have a more potent blood pressure-lowering effect. [650-653]
19. In adults with vitamin D deficiency, high‐dose, 1‐year vitamin D supplementation appears to improve central blood pressure parameters. [654]
20. Short-term, high dose vitamin D administration for 1 year in hypertensive patients reduces blood pressure by improving blood vessel stiffness. [655-656]
21. In healthy subjects and hypertensive patients, daily vitamin D3 therapy at a dose of >800 IU/day for <6 months significantly reduces systolic blood pressure. [657] 22. In hypertensive subjects, vitamin D supplementation significantly lowers systolic blood pressure (an average of 6.1 mmHg) without any adverse side effects. [658-659] 23. One of the mechanisms by which vitamin D lowers blood pressure is by decreasing the concentrations of renin, aldosterone, and angiotensin – all of which constrict the blood vessels. [660] 24. Vitamin D also lowers blood pressure by reducing parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels. [661]