Low Vitamin D Linked to High Blood Pressure

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a complex medical condition, which may result as a culmination of factors including body weight, salt and water retention, mineral levels, etc.  Vimal Karani Santhanakrishnan, from the Institute of Children Health at the University College London (United Kingdom), and colleagues have completed a large genetic analysis demonstrated that individuals with genes linked to lower vitamin D levels are more likely to have hypertension mediated by low vitamin D. Among the 158,846 individuals studied, every 10% increase in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations associated with a 0.24 mmHg decrease in diastolic blood pressure, and an 8.1% decrease in the risk of developing hypertension.  The study authors submit that they present “a rich data set showing a relationship between a specific genetic polymorphism and blood pressure,” suggesting that their findings attest to a causal association between low levels of vitamin D and high blood pressure.