Vitamin D Deficiency May Be Linked to Heart Disease

New research suggests people with lower levels of vitamin D are more likely to suffer from coronary artery disease and to have more severe forms of the illness.

While the findings aren’t definitive, they add to recent research that indicates vitamin D — the so-called sunshine vitamin — may play a role in preventing heart disease.

The results “suggest vitamin D deficiency to be the cause rather than the consequence of atherosclerosis,” said study investigator Dr. Monica Verdoia, a cardiologist at Eastern Piedmont University in Novara, Italy. Clogged arteries, or atherosclerosis, can lead to heart attack.

While the study showed an association between vitamin D levels and heart disease risk, it did not prove a cause-and-effect link.

The findings are scheduled for presentation Sunday at the American College of Cardiology’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

Researchers who examined nearly 1,500 patients found that 70 percent of those undergoing angiography, a…