High triglycerides in menopause: Vitamin D supplements help reduce them
Menopausal high triglycerides: vitamin D lowers them
A daily dose of 4000 IU of vitamin D, about 100 micrograms, can reduce the level of triglycerides, but not cholesterol, in the blood of postmenopausal women with a high risk of cardiovascular disease.
This is shown by a new study conducted at the Instituto Nacional De Salud Publica in Cuernavaca, Mexico, and published in the journal Clinical Nutrition .
Vitamin D and dyslipidemia
The term vitamin D refers to two precursors: D3, also known as cholecalciferol, and D2, known as ergocalciferol. Both D3 and D2 are transformed in the liver and kidneys into 25-hydroxyvitamin (25) (OH) D, the non-active and storage form, and into 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25 (OH) 2D), the active form.
Vitamin D deficiency in adults is associated with conditions such as osteoporosis, muscle weakness, fractures, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, and cardiovascular disease. Although some research points to a role of vitamin D also in improving heart health, it is unclear whether this relationship is causal and whether optimal vitamin D levels are a cause or consequence of good cardiovascular health. In particular, low serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D have been associated with an unfavorable lipid profile.
Increased blood lipids are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and a growing public health problem. Dyslipidemia is particularly relevant in vulnerable populations, such as postmenopausal women.
Study details
A total of 104 postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes were involved in the clinical study, all of whom took one tablet daily for 6 months: one group received tablets containing 4000 IU (about 100 micrograms) of vitamin D, while another group received a placebo. Analysis of serum from the 99 women who had completed the study showed that vitamin D levels, which increased in the group that had taken it daily, were associated with a decrease in triglyceride concentration.
No significant changes were observed in HDL, LDL, and total cholesterol levels, while a 'nonsignificant association emerged between vitamin D and high-density lipoprotein levels. Several mechanisms could explain these findings; vitamin D would be able to increase calcium absorption while reducing that of fatty acids in the intestine, lowering triglyceride levels.
Major achievements
According to the researchers who conducted the study, the results suggest that 'vitamin D supplementation may have a beneficial effect on serum triglyceride levels but without affecting that of other lipids.
These data, as the researchers pointed out again, are very important because decreasing serum concentrations of triglycerides and total cholesterol prevents the thickening of arteries and their narrowing, and thus may reduce the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke.
Further studies with larger sample sizes and longer periods will, in any case, be needed to better understand the role of vitamin D supplementation in preventing dyslipidemia and other cardiovascular risk factors.
Source: Paloma Muñoz-Aguirre, Mario Flores, Nayeli Macias, Amado D. Quezada, Edgar Denova-Gutiérrez, Jorge Salmerón. The effect of vitamin D supplementation on serum lipids in postmenopausal women with diabetes: A randomized controlled trial, Published Online: October 09, 2014
