Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that your body manufactures when sunlight interacts with cholesterol in your skin. Vitamin D has a variety of functions in your body aside from its most famous role of assisting with calcium absorption. Some research has shown that cholesterol and vitamin D levels may be interdependent.
Vitamin D Receptors
You have receptors for vitamin D on many different types of cells throughout your body, say researchers of a study published in the May 2011 issue of the journal "Progress in Lipid Research," signifying that this vitamin is used in a variety of functions. Low vitamin D levels are linked to elevated cholesterol levels. In a review of previously published studies, researchers found high levels of high density lipoprotein, HDL, the "good" form of cholesterol, in people with high vitamin D levels. However, some studies have reported an increase in low-density lipoprotein, LDL, the "bad" form of cholesterol, of as much as 16 percent with vitamin D supplementation. The authors advise waiting for more definitive results in further clinical trials before deciding on the merits of vitamin D for cholesterol.
Post-Menopause
Reseachers at the department of epidemiology and the program on genomics and nutrition, University of California, Los Angeles, found that higher vitamin D levels in post-menopausal women were associated with lower levels of obesity, triglycerides, and metabolic syndrome -- a combination of factors that can lead to increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The study, published in the May 2011 issue of "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" also found that vitamin D levels did not predict LDL or HDL levels or levels of insulin or glucose in post-menopausal women.
Precursor
Cholesterol and vitamin D share the same precursor molecule, known as squalene, a compound that is found in many vegetable oils, according to Frank Murray, former editor of Better Nutrition, GreatLife and Let's Live magazines and author of the book "Sunshine and Vitamin D: A Comprehensive Guide to the Benefits of the Sunshine Vitamin." Murray explains that your level of exposure to sunlight is a determining factor in whether squalene in your body is converted into vitamin D or cholesterol. As a result, in geographical locations where sunshine is plentiful, such as the south of France, cardiovascular disease is lower than in places that receive less sunshine, such as Northern Ireland.
Statin Drugs
The prevalence of statin drugs used to lower cholesterol levels may be causing vitamin D deficiencies in some people, says Ryan Bentley, M.D., author of the book "Sex, Lies & Cholesterol." This condition arises because vitamin D is produced from cholesterol. Another link between low vitamin D levels and cholesterol involves the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis, a degenerative nerve disease in which the insulation around nerves, which is comprised of layers of cholesterol, becomes degraded.
References
- "Progress in Lipid Research"; Vitamin D and Metabolic Health with Special Reference to the Effect of Vitamin D on Serum Lipids; R. Jorde, et al.; May 2011
- "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations in Relation to Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and Metabolic Syndrome in Postmenopausal Women; S. Chacko, et al.; May 2011
- "Sunshine and Vitamin D: A Comprehensive Guide to the Benefits of the ... "; Frank Murray; 2009
- "Sex, Lies & Cholesterol"; Dr. Ryan E. Bentley; 2010
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