Food-And Nutrition Vitamin D And Cardio

Running head: FOOD AND NUTRITION: VITAMIN D AND CARDIOVASCULAR
DISEASE
FOOD AND NUTRITION: VITAMIN D AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
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FOOD AND NUTRITION: VITAMIN D AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE1
Introduction
Despite the range of comprehensive clinical data and studies, there remains a dearth of
evidence based research demonstrating a valid, significant and convincing association between
high susceptibility of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and vitamin D. The following essay will
critically discuss upon the key findings which demonstrated by current evidence with respect to a
relationship between vitamin D and CVD.
Discussion
The prospective cohort study by Kilkkinen et al (2009)1, investigated the relationship
between a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels (25(OH)D) and deaths due to cardiovascular,
coronary and cerebrovascular diseases across a sample of 6219 women and men, aged 30 years
and above, from years 1978-1980 to the years 2006 or until death. The findings, indeed
demonstrated and inverse association between cardiovascular, coronary and cerebrovascular
disease deaths and participants with serum 25 (OH)D levels greater than 60 nmol/L in the form
of hazard ratios (p = 0.005, 0.20, 0.002). However, despite the comprehensive of confounders
considered, the study overlooks the need for considering dietary vitamin D intake and multiple
follow up measures between the cohort period – which in turn, raises concerns of result validity
and trustworthiness.
Similarly, the cohort while the cohort study by Sun et al (2011)2, demonstrates the
prevalence of an inverse link between increased vitamin D consumption and CVD outcomes, but
1 Kilkkinen A, Knekt P, Aro A, Rissanen H, Marniemi J, Heliövaara M, Impivaara O, Reunanen A.
Vitamin D status and the risk of cardiovascular disease death. Am J Epidemiol. 2009 Oct 15;170(8):1032-9. doi:
10.1093/aje/kwp227.
2 Sun Q, Shi L, Rimm EB, Giovannucci EL, Hu FB, Manson JE, Rexrode KM. Vitamin D intake and risk
of cardiovascular disease in US men and women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Aug;94(2):534-42. doi:
10.3945/ajcn.110.008763.