Vitamin D supplementation not associated with lower blood pressure

A review of clinical trial data suggests vitamin D supplementation was ineffective at lowering blood pressure (BP) and should not be used as an antihypertensive, according to an article published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.

Intervention studies have produced conflicting evidence on the BP-lowering effect of vitamin D. An increasing number of clinical trials of have studied vitamin D and cardiovascular health, according to the study background.

Miles D. Witham, B.M., B.Ch., Ph.D., of the University of Dundee, Scotland, and coauthors analyzed clinical trial data and individual patient data with regard to vitamin D supplementation and BP. The authors included 46 trials (4,541 participants) and individual patient data were obtained for 27 trials (3,092 participants).

In both clinical trial and individual patient data, no effect was seen on systolic BP or diastolic BP due to vitamin D supplementation

"The results of this analysis do not support the use of vitamin D or its analogues as an individual patient treatment for hypertension or as a population-level intervention to lower BP," the study concludes.