Across pharmacy aisles nationwide, a familiar supplement is making waves for its potential to significantly lower the risk of heart attacks. This revelation comes from a recent study conducted by heart specialists at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City, who discovered that heart attack survivors who diligently monitored and enhanced their vitamin D levels with vitamin D3 supplements experienced a dramatic reduction, cutting their risk of a subsequent heart attack by half.

The research encompassed over 600 participants, revealing that a staggering 85 percent began with inadequate vitamin D levels in their bloodstream. For many of these individuals, an initial daily intake of 5,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D3 was necessary — a considerable increase from the commonly suggested dosage range of 600 to 800 IU. Participants maintained this regimen for an average of four years, underscoring the importance of long-term commitment to vitamin D optimization.

Although spending about 30 minutes outdoors in the sunlight daily can generally help individuals achieve healthy vitamin D levels — approximately 30 nanograms per milliliter — it is estimated that two-thirds of Americans still fall short of this essential nutrient.

Vitamin D plays a vital role in regulating the body’s calcium and phosphate levels. Deficiency in this crucial vitamin can lead to serious health issues, including bone deformities like rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, a condition characterized by soft, painful bones that are prone to fractures.

For many people, spending 30 minutes in the sun daily is sufficient to achieve a healthy concentration of vitamin D, which is at least 30 nanograms per milliliter. But an estimated two-thirds of Americans are deficient in the crucial vitamin.

Vitamin D helps regulate calcium and phosphate levels in the body. Without it, people can experience bone deformities such as rickets in children and a condition called osteomalacia in adults, which results in soft, painful bones that fracture easily.

Meanwhile, deficient vitamin D levels increase the risk of heart attack due to potential effects on blood pressure, inflammation, and metabolic conditions such as diabetes, all of which are risk factors for an initial and repeat cardiac event.

Researchers found no adverse effects of vitamin D3 supplementation in their experimental group, adding that the study concluded ‘exciting results.’

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Instead of a one-size-fits-all supplement, researchers tailored the dosage for each participant based on regular blood tests, aiming to adjust it to an optimal range.

Heart disease patients with a history of heart attack were randomized into two groups: a standard care group (no vitamin D management) and a treatment group.

Unlike previous trials that used a standard dose for all participants, researchers in the treatment group measured each participant’s vitamin D blood levels at enrollment. 

The researchers adjusted their supplement dose every three months, aiming to achieve and maintain a target blood level of 40 to 80 ng/mL.

They closely monitored participants for safety, adjusting doses to prevent vitamin D toxicity.

Of the 630 heart attack survivors in the study, 107 experienced another major cardiac event, including a subsequent heart attack, stroke or death, within four years. 

The rate of all these major events combined was 15.7 percent in the group receiving tailored vitamin D3, compared to 18.4 percent in the standard care group.

Adults given personalized vitamin D3 dosing saw their risk of a subsequent heart attack cut by 52 percent, revealing a viable strategy for preventing repeat cardiac events in vulnerable patients.  

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Vitamin D functions as an anti-inflammatory hormone, helping to calm chronic inflammation that makes plaque in the arteries unstable and prone to rupture, which can trigger a heart attack or stroke.

It also helps regulate blood pressure, improves blood vessel flexibility and supports heart muscle function, creating a more stable cardiovascular environment that’s less prone to blockages. 

While vitamin D3 cut the risk of heart attacks in half, it didn’t significantly reduce broader risks, such as stroke or heart failure. 

Researchers believe that its benefits are specific to heart attacks and often require higher, personalized doses under medical supervision. 

Over half of the participants required more than 5,000 IU daily, which is over six times the standard advised amount, to reach their target, highlighting that individual needs can vary significantly.

Vitamin D3 is widely available and relatively inexpensive, with some 60-capsule supplies costing around $30 and many generic or store-brand options available for as low as $10.

Age-adjusted deaths per 100,000 people due to heart disease have been steadily declining since 1950

For heart attack survivors, a simple strategy of testing and correcting vitamin D levels cut their risk of a subsequent heart attack by 52 percent, according to a new clinical trial (stock image)

Dr Heidi T May, principal investigator in the trial and an epidemiologist at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City, said: ‘With more targeted treatment, when we checked exactly how supplementation was working and made adjustments, we found that patients had their risk of another heart attack cut in half.’

This latest research suggests that the deficiency is not just a marker of poor health, but may also be an active player in repeat cardiac events.

Dr May said: ‘We observed no adverse outcomes when giving patients higher doses of vitamin D3 supplementation, and to significantly reduce the risk of another heart attack, which are exciting results.

‘We’re excited with these results but know we have further work to do to validate these findings.’