title: Vitamin D and Cardiovascular Disease.
abstract: Vitamin D is best known for its influence on skeletal health. There is growing recognition, however, that vitamin D has nonskeletal actions, which could have important implications for understanding the consequences of vitamin D deficiency. In epidemiologic studies, vitamin D deficiency has been consistently associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Disruption of vitamin D signaling in animal models promotes hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy, and atherosclerosis. This evidence has led to the initiation of prospective randomized trials of vitamin D supplementation in individuals at risk for cardiovascular disease. The results of these trials should help to guide strategies for screening and management of vitamin D deficiency in the clinic and at the population level.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee 37232; email: thomas.j.wang@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D002762:Cholecalciferol / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012084:Renin-Angiotensin System; D012307:Risk Factors; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D; D002762:Cholecalciferol; C097949:1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D
keywords: cardiovascular disease; prevention; vitamin D