United States: The latest findings revealed that vitamin D plus calcium may help in reducing blood pressure in older adults with obesity (BMI greater than 30).
More about the news
The experts noted these supplements worked well in lowering systolic blood pressure, which is the top number in blood pressure readings, as well as diastolic blood pressure, the bottom number.
However, they pointed out that in terms of reducing blood pressure, more is not always better. The response elicited was not influenced by the amount of the drug that was given.
The participants in the study sample had hypertension. The American Heart AssociationTrusted Source goes further and notes that normal blood pressure is less than 120/80.
Hypertension is defined in this case as any systolic pressure bigger than 130 and any diastolic pressure bigger than 80, healthline.com reported.
How did experts reach the conclusion?
The sample comprised 221 participants aged 65 years and older who were using vitamin D supplements.
All of these were categorized as overweight (with a BMI of more than 25). In the study, an assessment of the study participants was conducted over a period of one year.
When the researchers compared the two groups, they were not able to establish that the varied dosage of vitamin D was better than the other.
However, both groups showed reduced SBP and DBP with statistically significant differences by 3.5 mm Hg for SBP and 2.8 mm Hg for DBP.
The research also concluded that individuals with obesity and low vitamin D status benefitted most from the improvement of blood pressure.
According to Dr Reimas Geiga, MD, who is a medical doctor, a registered dietitian, and a clinical nutritionist in Glowbar LDN, vitamin D plays a given role in blood pressure in the following ways, healthline.com reported.
Further, in those with obesity, individuals experience constant, mild inflammation, according to Geiga. This means that in the long run, the blood vessels are affected and hence may lead to high blood pressure.