Low vitamin D levels may trigger high blood pressure, say scientists. The analysis enrolled 1,484 women, ages 32 to 52 years. The subjects’ blood was tested for 25-hydroxyvitamin D, a protein marker that reflects overall vitamin D levels. 

The investigators “matched cases and controls on age, race, and month of blood collection and further adjusted for body mass index, physical activity, family history of hypertension, oral contraceptive use, and plasma levels of parathyroid hormone, calcium, phosphorous, creatinine, and uric acid.”

Those women with the lowest levels of vitamin D had a 66% bolstered risk of hypertension, compared with those with the highest levels. And, being vitamin-D deficient increased the odds of developing high blood pressure by 47%.

“Plasma 25(OH)D levels are inversely and independently associated with the risk of developing hypertension,” conclude the study’s authors.

Hypertension – November 2008;52:828-32.

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