Both vitamin D excess and deficiency increase blood pressure,but only excess increases arterial stiffness
Naghmeh Mirhosseini Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab 2013
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of hypertension, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Recently, the tolerable upper intake level of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (D3) has been increased to
4000 IU/day, but levels of 10 000 IU/day for treatment of inflammatory conditions and 50 000 IU/week for short-term supplementation in deficient individuals have been suggested. High doses of D3 may cause arterial calcification and cardionecrosis, but the velocity of the adverse events related to regular D3 intake in doses higher than 10 000 IU/day and the threshold for these changes and links to arterial calcification or hypertension are unclear.
In a 4-week animal trial (male rats), 5 D3 treatment groups (4 rats per group) O equivalent to the following human doses: (i) 0 IU/day (deficiency), (ii) 600 (recommended daily intake; control), (iii) 10 000 IU/day (upper therapeutic dose), (iv) 30 000 IU/day, and (v) 150 000 IU/day were examined for impact on cardiovascular function (blood pressure, heart rate, pulse wave velocity, and arterial stiffness).
Blood pressure telemetry and carotid artery Doppler ultrasonography were done at the baseline and weekly during diet testing.
After 4 weeks, both systolic and diastolic blood pressure increased significantly (15 mm Hg; p< 0.05, 1-way ANOVA, Duncan's post hoc test) in both D3 deficiency and groups receiving ≥30 000 IU/day compared with the 10 000 IU/day group. Carotid artery luminal diameter was significantly smaller in 0 and ≥30 000 IU/day D3 compared with control, which could indicate either increased arterial wall thickness or increased arterial contractility. Cardiac function was largely unchanged among treatments. In contrast, pulse wave velocity and peak acceleration decreased over time in control and D3 deficiency, but increased in groups receiving ≥30 000 IU/day D3, indicating increased arterial stiffness.
In conclusion, based on significant increases in blood pressure, caution needs to be taken with D3 supplementation ≥30 000 IU/day. Future studies will be directed at idiotfirming the dose threshold and examining mechanisms for D3-induced arterial stiffness and hypertension.