Arterial stiffness is associated with the onset of vascular aging and can be considered a contributing factor to the development of cardiovascular disease and may be influenced by diet. Inflammation and oxidative stress are possible mechanisms of arterial stiffness. Both of these mechanisms can induce changes in the endothelial and arterial wall structures through processes such as muscle cell proliferation, collagen deposition, and elastin fragmentation.
A previous systematic review and meta-analysis have shown that correction of vitamin D deficiency with vitamin D supplementation can improve arterial stiffness, especially with daily doses ≥2000 IU.
A network meta-analysis study has also been conducted to assess the effect of vitamin supplementation on arterial stiffness as determined by pulse wave velocity (PWv) in the adult population. PWv is the gold standard method for noninvasive assessment of arterial stiffness and is a useful surface indicator for determining cardiovascular risk and targeting potential organ damage. Data were searched from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases for randomized controlled trials through Sept. 30, 2021.
A total of 22 studies with a total of 1318 participants in the intervention group and 1115 participants in the placebo group. The results of the analysis showed that the different types of vitamin supplements did not show a statistically significant effect on arterial stiffness, but if oral supplementation was given for more than 12 weeks, vitamin D3 showed a significant reduction in arterial stiffness compared to placebo and vitamin D2.
Conclusion:
It was concluded that oral vitamin D3 supplementation for more than 12 weeks was effective in reducing arterial stiffness and could be considered a beneficial approach to improve vascular health in patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease.
Image: Illustration (Source: Nataliya Vaitkevich dari Pexels)
References:
- Zas-Lara A, Cavero-Redondo I, Martínez-Vizcaíno V, Martínez-Ortega IA, Pacheco BN, Pascual-Morena C. The comparative effects of different types of oral vitamin supplements on arterial stiffness: A network meta-analysis. Nutrients 2022;14(5):1009.
- Chen N, Hsu C, Mao PC, Dreyer G, Wu F, Chen C. The effects of correction of vitamin D deficiency on arterial stiffness: A systematic review and updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol.2020;198:105561
