title: Vitamin D metabolism and cardiovascular risk factors in postmenopausal women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this review is to focus on the association of vitamin D and cardiovascular risk factors in postmenopausal women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Review of the relevant literature and results from recent clinical studies as well as critical analysis of published results concerning the association of vitamin D and cardiovascular risk factors in postmenopausal women obtained from both a PubMed and individual searches.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both basic science and clinical studies support the protective role of vitamin D on cardiovascular health, although there are controversial results in the literature. Hypovitaminosis D is associated with disturbed glucose metabolism and pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction, lipoprotein alterations, hypertension, overweight and obesity. The evidence highlights the importance of improving vitamin D status in the general population for the prevention of adverse long-term health risks, including cardiovascular health. The optimal vitamin D dose remains to be determined. However, correction of low vitamin D itself does not guarantee the prevention of these conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Zaragoza, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain. faustino.perez@unizar.es
authors.forename: Faustino R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Pérez-López
mesh_terms: D001786:Blood Glucose; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000378:metabolism*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000378:metabolism*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D014807:Vitamin D