Low vitamin D and high uric acid levels in your body may conspire to increase your blood pressure. Known as the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D is a critical nutrient that far too many Americans are skimping on. It's also possible that dietary factors that cause high uric acid may be working against your vitamin D stores. Scientists are examining the interplay between vitamin D and uric acid and believe that one day curing a vitamin D deficiency may have the effect of lowering your blood pressure.
About Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble nutrient that plays a role in bone health, cell growth, immune and muscular nerve function. Public health authorities say Americans get too little vitamin D. Your body makes its own vitamin D when you expose your skin to sunlight, but when you account for winter, long work hours and commuting and a sedentary lifestyle, it's easy to see how many people may potentially not get enough. Vitamin D is also naturally present in salmon, sardines, tuna and milk.
Low Vitamin D
The Institute of Medicine says from the age of 1 to 70 everyone needs at least 15 mcg of vitamin D daily, and 20 mcg after that. Your doctor can determine whether your vitamin D levels are sufficient with a blood test. Having a range of 30 to 74 ng/mL is normal. The danger of having low vitamin D once was thought to mainly affect bone health. However, over the last few decades, scientists have linked vitamin D deficiency with a number of ailments, including diabetes and obesity. Arguably none are more sinister than the relationship vitamin D has to heart health. A strong link exists between vitamin D status and high blood pressure.
Uric Acid
Uric acid is waste material produced when your body breaks down certain foods. Uric acid normally travels in your bloodstream and goes through your kidneys where it gets flushed out through your urine. However, the level of uric acid in your blood can become elevated if your body produces too much or if it doesn't efficiently dispose of it. Elevated uric acid levels can make you sick. MayoClinic.com reports that high uric acid is often a precursor to high blood pressure.
Hypertension
High blood pressure, or hypertension, happens when there's too much force pressed against the walls of your blood vessels. It makes your heart work too hard, and it can weaken your veins and arteries over time. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease because those overstretched and weak vessels tend to collect plaque buildup over time, which can block the flow of blood to your heart. You want to keep your blood pressure measurement at or below 120/80 mm Hg. At 140/90 mm Hg, you may be diagnosed with Stage 1 high blood pressure. A full one-third of American adults have high blood pressure, and another 28 percent are prehypertensive.
Study Shows Promise
If vitamin D's therapeutic effect on high blood pressure gets confirmed, it will be a great day for heart disease care because vitamin D is relatively cheap and easy to access. A growing body of research shows promise. Austrian researchers from the Medical University of Graz said in their review that supplementing with vitamin D reduces systolic pressure by 2 to 6 mm Hg. Systolic pressure is the top number in your blood pressure reading and refers to the pressure exerted when your heart beats.
Considerations
A small study of kidney disease patients reported that high uric acid levels can decrease vitamin D levels. Published in 2011 in the "Turkish Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation Journal," the authors said a clear negative relationship exists between the two. Furthermore, an ongoing clinical trial that started in March 2011 at Brigham and Women's Hospital is investigating whether supplementing with vitamin D and treating high uric acid levels will lower blood pressure in overweight and obese people.
References
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin D Fact Sheet
- "Turkish Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation Journal"; The Association between Uric Acid and Vitamin D Levels in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease; Erkan Sengul et al.; 2011
- MedlinePlus: 25-hydroxy Vitamin D Test
- "Archives of Internal Medicine"; Prevalence of Cardiovascular Risk Factors and the Serum Levels of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D in the United States; David Martins et al.; June 11, 2008
- MayoClinic.com: High Uric Acid Level
- "Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy"; Role of Vitamin D in Arterial Hypertension; Stefan Pilz and Andreas Tomaschitz; Nov. 2010
