Low vitamin D linked to high risk of leg artery disease 6-7-08

A new study published in the June 2008 issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology suggests that taking vitamin D supplements or getting exposed to enough of sunshine may help prevent peripheral artery disease (PAD).

PAD is a condition in which the legs are narrowed or clogged by fatty deposit and blood flow is restricted to the legs. It affects an estimated 8 to 12 million Americans, according to the American Heart Association.

Dr. Michal L. Melamed from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York and colleagues analyzed data from a national survey of 4,839 U.S. adults whose vitamin D levels were measured.

People with PAD had significantly lower levels of vitamin D than those without.  Of those with the highest levels of the vitamin, only 3.7 percent had PAD compared to 8.1 percent of those with the condition the researchers found.

After other factors including age, gender and race were adjusted, people with lowest levels of vitamin D were 2.18 times more likely to have PAD than those with the highest levels.

Specifically, a 10-nanogram-per-milliliter decrease in the blood vitamin D level was linked a 35 percent increase in the incidence of PAD.

This study is not a trial, meaning the association is not necessarily a causal relation between PAD and the blood vitamin D level.   Because of this, no one knows for sure taking vitamin D supplements would definitely reduce the risk.