A new study suggests that vitamin D along with calcium supplements may help reduce blood pressure levels in older adults struggling with weight gain and obesity. Published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society, the research examined how different doses of the vitally important vitamin might affect the health of more than 200 overweight seniors living near Beirut, Lebanon.

“Vitamin D supplementation, when co-administered with calcium, may reduce blood pressure in overweight elderly individuals,” said Dr. Ghada El-Haj Fulihan, lead author and professor of medicine at the American University of Beirut. Could.” “Obese individuals, individuals with high blood pressure and those with low vitamin D levels may benefit most.”

What is the vitamin D status of most people?,

According to experts, almost one in five people worldwide are vitamin D deficient, as they fail to meet the daily recommended dosage of 600-800 IU of vitamin D.

Vitamin D deficiency can be extremely dangerous to your overall health and well-being. Doctors say symptoms of low vitamin D include severe fatigue, illness, anxiety, bone pain and slow wound healing.

What happens with low levels of Vitamin D?,

Low vitamin D levels also increase the risk of heart disease, including high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Several previous studies have identified vitamin D deficiency as an “independent risk factor for hypertension.” However, research on this topic has been mostly inconclusive, and it’s not really clear whether vitamin D supplements can actually be used for treatment or prevention. high blood pressure.

In the current study, experts say the lack of a placebo in the group makes it very difficult to determine whether the observed reduction in blood pressure is actually due to the vitamin D supplements.

Can Vitamin D Lower Blood Pressure Levels?,

For the study, researchers said they wanted to see how calcium and vitamin D supplementation might affect bone density and insulin resistance. To do this, they got 221 volunteers – all of them were at least 65 years old and had a BMI over 25. Vitamin D levels in the volunteers’ blood also ranged between 10 and 30 ng/ml.

Divided into two groups, participants received a 1,000 mg daily calcium supplement, with one group receiving a smaller dose of vitamin D (600 IU), while the other received a larger dose (3,750 IU). After six months and one year of health measurements, scientists noticed that blood pressure measurements changed little over the course of the study.

Taking a proper look at the data at the end of the experiment, researchers noticed that only obese patients saw significant benefits in blood pressure from taking sup. According to researchers, obese people have lower levels of vitamin D, which may explain why they get the most benefits. The study also found that the supplement reduced blood pressure in participants with high blood pressure, regardless of BMI or vitamin D group.

What does the study say?

Experts believe that even though the study has been able to identify a positive association between taking supplements and improvements in blood pressure, it is not clear whether those benefits should actually be attributed to vitamin D.

For people who have no symptoms of vitamin D deficiency, the US Preventive Services Task Force says there is no strong evidence that screening or taking supplements can improve health outcomes.

And so, to make sure you are getting vitamin D, you should start with sun exposure and diet, which includes foods like fortified milk, cereals, cod liver oil, mushrooms and eggs.

Get the latest news live on Times Now with breaking news and top headlines from around the world.