Vitamin D: Cardiovascular Effects and Beyond

The importance of vitamin Din mineral metabolism has been known for a long time. Deficiency of this compound can cause rickets in children and both osteomalacia and osteoporosis in adults, leading to increased risk of fracture.1 A significant number of pediatric and adult patients have vitamin D deficiency due to decreased sun exposure, reduced dietary intake, malabsorption, drug intake (anticonvulsants), and renal and hepatic disease.2

Recently, better understanding of the physiology of vitamin D and the discovery of new receptor sites in many organs/tissues have underscored vitamin D's multiple beneficial effects, including improved cardiovascular health.3 Moreover, studies have reported that correction of vitamin D deficiency has resulted in decreased risk of cancer and diabetes,4-6 improvement in the immune system,7 and improved muscle function.8 We summarize herein some of these observational studies.