Can Vitamin D Help Veins?

It is important to obtain all the vitamins and minerals your body needs on a daily basis. However, what you may not know is how much each individual vitamin and mineral can help improve your health. Vitamin D gains most of its reputation in bone health, but it is also a significant player in the health of your blood vessels.

Benefits

Adequate vitamin D benefits the health of your arteries, according to a study conducted by the Emory/Georgia Tech Predictive Health Institute in 2011. There were 554 subjects who were analyzed according to their blood levels of vitamin D as well as the blood vessels ability to relax and constrict upon stimulation. Those with lower blood levels of vitamin D had stiffer blood vessels.

Mechanism

Researchers are not positive as to the mechanism at play between vitamin D and healthy blood vessels, but there are speculations. According to the scientists, vitamin D may be affecting the health of the endothelial cells. These are the cells that line the inside of your blood vessels that are responsible for contraction and relaxation of the vessels. Another theory proposes that vitamin D influences the hormone angiotensin. This hormone helps regulate blood pressure and controls inflammation.

Importance

Healthy, compliant blood vessels means lower blood pressure, which benefits your cardiovascular health and can reduce the likelihood of developing atherosclerosis. Artery disease, or atherosclerosis, is a disease of the blood vessels in which buildup inside the arteries occludes the vessel, limiting the bloodflow through them. More rigid blood vessels cause higher blood pressure and are more likely to sustain an injury, the first stage in the development of atherosclerosis.

Sources and Recommendations

Your body's needs for vitamin D are met by the sun. Just getting five to 30 minutes of sunlight between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on your limbs or face is enough. Exposure to sunlight stimulates your body to absorb rays. Through a complex process, your body makes vitamin D. There is not enough dietary vitamin D to meet your daily needs, thus exposure to sunlight is necessary. However, foods that do contain vitamin D are fish, liver, fortified dairy and fortified grains. Your age dictates your need. Between the ages of 19 and 70, take in 600 international units per day and for those 70 and older, take 800 IU per day.