title: Does vitamin D modulate blood pressure?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Both vitamin D deficiency and hypertension are highly prevalent. It is unclear whether vitamin D modulates blood pressure and therefore whether vitamin D testing and therapy should become part of routine hypertension prevention and management. This article provides an overview of the data, with special emphasis on the work published in the last 2 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Several animal studies corroborate the strong effect of vitamin D on the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis. Small and large observational studies have found associations between vitamin D, increased blood pressure, and the risk of developing hypertension. In contrast, recent data from randomized trials are mixed. Two randomized trials with approximately 1 year of follow-up detected no association between vitamin D treatment and blood pressure, whereas another study of active vitamin D reported a 9-mmHg decrease in systolic blood pressure. Meta-analyses have linked vitamin D levels with blood pressure, but the effect of vitamin D administration on blood pressure remains controversial.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vitamin D deficiency is asociated with high blood pressure in observational studies. This effect is thought to be partly mediated through regulation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis. However, randomized clinical trials and their meta-analyses have yielded inconclusive results. Large randomized trials focusing on patients with severe vitamin D deficiency and hypertension are needed before vitamin D can be recommended for the prevention or treatment of hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Hector
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tamez
authors.forename: Sahir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kalim
authors.forename: Ravi I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Thadhani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D012084:Renin-Angiotensin System; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000097:blood* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014815:Vitamins / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D014815:Vitamins; D014807:Vitamin D