Here’s what researchers discovered
Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland have discovered that taking a much higher dose of Vitamin D than would normally be recommended could save your heart.
High doses of Vitamin D can be helpful
Specifically, taking higher-than-recommended doses of Vitamin D can reduce the risk of developing atrial fibrillation in both older men and women after a period of five years.
What is arterial fibrillation?![]()
Atrial fibrillation is a condition where the heart beats too fast or too slow in an irregular way according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and can be deadly.
The stats in the United States
Roughly 12.1 million people in the United States will suffer from atrial fibrillation by 2030 and the condition was listed on as many as 182,321 death certificates in 2019.
The stats in the United States
Roughly 12.1 million people in the United States will suffer from atrial fibrillation by 2030 and the condition was listed on as many as 182,321 death certificates in 2019.
Atrial fibrillation risk factors![]()
Risk factors for atrial fibrillation include older age, obesity, diabetes, smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, high blood pressure, European ancestry, and hyperthyroidism.
What can atrial fibrillation lead to?
Atrial fibrillation is also associated with an increased risk of stroke, mortality, and heart failure the University of Eastern Finland researchers reported in their study but Vitamin D could change your risk level.
The Finnish Vitamin D Trial (FIND)![]()
Researchers embarked on a five-year study to examine the association between supplementing Vitamin D had on cardiovascular diseases and cancer and made an exciting discovery.
Reducing the risk of atrial fibrillation
High levels of Vitamin D supplementation were observed to have led to a reduced risk of developing atrial fibrillation in both healthy older individuals across all participants over the course of the study.
Details about the participants![]()
The five-year study was composed of 2495 participants between the ages of 60-65, and was split into three separate groups that were administered varying doses of Vitamin D.
What were the groups taking daily?
One group was asked to take 1600 International Units (IU) of Vitamin D per day while a second group was told to take 3200 IU a day. The third group took a placebo but critically all groups were allowed to take the baseline recommended level of Vitamin D at 800 IU a day.
The results![]()
Over the course of the study, only 190 participants were diagnosed with atrial fibrillation according to the study’s authors with the majority, 76 individuals, coming from the placebo group.
One group reduced more risk than the others
Only 59 people were diagnosed with atrial fibrillation in the group taking 1600 IU of Vitamin D daily and 55 in the group taking the larger 3200 IU dose of Vitamin D a day.
Big risk reductions![]()
The risk of developing atrial fibrillation was 27% lower in the group taking 1600 IU of Vitamin D versus the placebo group and 32% lower in the group taking 3200 IU a day.
Vitamin D can help the already healthy
These findings led the researchers to claim that supplementing with high-dose Vitamin D could reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation in otherwise healthy elderly individuals.
Making the results count![]()
More study is needed
