Vitamin D Has No Blood Pressure Effect in Postmenopausal Women

Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) are not related to changes in blood pressure (BP) in postmenopausal women, according to researchers.

In a study of 4,863 postmenopausal women recruited into the Women’s Health Initiative between 1993 and 1998, investigators led by Karen L. Margolis, MD, of HealthPartners Research Foundation in Minneapolis, observed no significant differences in the adjusted mean change in systolic or diastolic BP by quartile of 25(OH)D over seven years.

In adjusted analyses, subjects in the third quartile of 25(OH)D had a significant 33% decreased risk of incident hypertension compared with those in the lowest quartile, the researchers reported (online ahead of print) in the American Journal of Epidemiology. The researchers found no significant reduction in risk among those in the second and fourth quartiles.

Previous prospective studies have found that the risk of incident hypertension is lower in individuals with high 25(OH)D levels.

From the January 01, 2012 Issue of Renal and Urology News