High Blood Pressure's Latest News: Vitamin D May Pare Blood Pressure for African American (1048 hits)
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African Americans have higher rates of hypertension than Caucasian Americans in the U.S. and also have lower circulating levels of 25(OH)D. In this study, 3 months of vitamin D supplementation had a small to modest effect to lower systolic blood pressure.
(MedPage Today) April 11, 2013 Vitamin D supplements may modestly lower blood pressure for African American adults, a clinical trial showed. Blood pressure fell by over 1 point more per 1,000 international units of cholecalciferol given per day than with placebo over a 3-month period [ ...], John P. Forman, MD, MSc, of the Brigham and Women's Hospital's Kidney Clinical Research Institute in Boston, and colleagues found.
[...] Larger, longer studies are needed to confirm an effect, Forman's group cautioned. But if confirmed, boosting vitamin D could be a good avenue to reduce blood pressure or prevent hypertension in this population, which has higher prevalence of hypertension but lower circulating vitamin D levels than reported in Caucasians, the group suggested. The best-supported mechanism for vitamin D to impact blood pressure is via downregulating the renin-angiotensin system, which is believed to be a stronger mediator of blood pressure among African Americans they explained.
Vitamin D supplement trials have had mixed blood pressure results but included relatively few African American participants. ...
WOW!! I have to take 50000 units of Vitamin D (1 pill a week )... to assist with Calcium regulation.... But I never placed the association between hypertension... BUT now that I think about it.... Aah Ha!!
I'll rather drink milk than take supplements, but with so many people who skip milk in their daily diets, this may help those bring those high levels down & also feel better and healthier as well. Looks promising.
Tuesday, April 16th 2013 at 6:41PM
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