Taking vitamin D supplements could cut blood pressure as effectively as drugs, claim researchers.
A study found it benefited patients with hypertension, or high blood pressure. Vitamin D is made by the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight. Deficiency has been linked to high blood pressure – a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
The study, led by Dr Thomas Larsen, showed benefits from taking supplements for 20 weeks in winter. The team studied 112 patients at Holstebro hospital in Denmark, 92 of whom were low on vitamin D.
They were given 75 mcg daily or a placebo. Those on vitamins showed a ‘significant’ reduction in central systolic blood pressure compared with the dummy pills. Professor Anna Dominiczak of Glasgow University says, “This is what powerful drugs do.”
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