When it comes to protecting, managing, and regaining overall health, Vitamin D has proven to be most effective. The naturally occurring, sun-derived Vitamin D provides proactive defense against most common lifestyle diseases, including cardiovascular disease. The effect of vitamin D on your heart is the basis of today’s research excerpt.

The farther north you live, the more likely you will suffer a heart attack. That curious observation led to the suspicion that vitamin D may somehow be related to the development of heart disease. It suggests that sunlight exposure may somehow provide a protective effect, perhaps through vitamin D. The notable exception to this pattern is the Eskimos, who eat large quantities of oily fish, a rich source of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids.

An early hint that deficiency of vitamin D might be behind heart disease came from a New Zealand study of 179 people presenting with heart attacks. Heart attack sufferers proved to have lower vitamin D blood levels (25-hydroxyvitamin D) compared to people without heart attacks.

A corroborating observation emerged from analysis of the enormous database of 259,891 heart attacks maintained by the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction. In this nationwide tabulation, heart attacks surged by 53% during sun-deprived winter months compared to summer. Further corroboration came from observations in sub-tropical climates, where intense sun shines year-round and seasonal variation in heart attack rates doesn’t occur. Unlike the large ranges in cold or hot weather found in temperate regions, the warm climate of a subtropical region does not affect the frequency of heart attacks.

If vitamin D is indeed related to heart disease risk, then we would also expect to see fewer heart attacks in sunny climates and more heart attacks in cooler climates. Indeed, an exhaustive study performed by Dr. David Grimes and colleagues at the Blackburn Royal Infirmary in England demonstrated a consistent worldwide relationship between sunlight exposure and heart disease: the farther north in latitude, the more heart attacks occurred. Dr. Grimes and others have suggested that the vitamin D activated by sunlight is behind the reduced risk of heart disease.

Source: “Vitamin D’s Crucial Role in Cardiovascular Protection.” By William Davis. http://www.lifeextension.com