Core tip: Vitamin D levels above the normal range can also be harmful to the heart. It can accelerate the heart's rhythm and increase the incidence of atrial fibrillation.
Many studies have shown that people with a vitamin D deficiency are more susceptible to heart disease and stroke. However, a recent new study from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City, USA, shows that excessive vitamin D intake can also be detrimental to the heart. For example, it can speed up the heart's rhythm and increase the risk of atrial fibrillation.
Excess vitamin D may increase the risk of atrial fibrillation
Excessive vitamin D can damage the heart. At the 2011 American Heart Association annual conference, a new study showed that excess vitamin D is not necessarily beneficial to the heart, and may even be harmful, potentially increasing the chance of developing atrial fibrillation.
In the study, which included over 130,000 patients, researchers found that when patients' blood levels of vitamin D were too high, the odds of developing atrial fibrillation increased by 2.5 times.
Is vitamin D "heart-breaking" or "heart-healing"?
When people obtain nutrients through supplements, there is a certain risk of excessive vitamin D intake. This is because the normal range for vitamin D in the human body is between 41 and 80 micrograms per deciliter (nanograms/liter). For the human body, any type of vitamin or substitute has its pros and cons. Patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation who are taking vitamin D supplements must remind their doctors to perform tests to understand the levels of nutrients in their blood, which will help analyze the cause of the atrial fibrillation.
Who is at risk for vitamin D deficiency?
The main function of vitamin D is to regulate the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus in the body, maintain the levels of blood calcium and blood phosphorus, and thus maintain the normal growth and development of teeth and bones. In children, vitamin D deficiency can easily lead to rickets.
The human body's vitamin D mainly comes from two sources: synthesis from ultraviolet radiation in sunlight on the skin and dietary sources (food and supplements). Many types of tissues and cells in the body have vitamin D receptors, and the activation of vitamin D is regulated by calcium and parathyroid hormone. It also has potential downstream effects on some systemic inflammatory markers and the renin-angiotensin system.
The highest risk groups for vitamin D deficiency mainly include: those who lack sun exposure or cover their skin in the sun, people with dark skin, those living in high latitudes, the elderly (because they have less of the precursor for vitamin D in their blood, and as they age, they spend less time outdoors), the severely obese, and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
What are the dangers of atrial fibrillation?
Atrial fibrillation is one of the most common arrhythmia diseases. Its onset is irregular and it is difficult to predict when it will start and stop. In patients with atrial fibrillation, the atria exhibit a rapid and disordered trembling, unable to contract and relax normally and regularly, leading to symptoms like heart palpitations, shortness of breath, chest tightness, dizziness, and difficulty breathing.
The incidence of atrial fibrillation in the elderly is as high as 10%, making it a cardiovascular disease second only to hypertension and coronary heart disease. If you experience heart palpitations, chest tightness, and shortness of breath, and your pulse is sometimes fast and sometimes slow, you may have atrial fibrillation. On top of that, if you feel short of breath when lying down at night, have swollen feet, and often feel weak and lethargic, it could be heart failure caused by atrial fibrillation, which is a more serious condition that requires immediate treatment.
The greatest danger of atrial fibrillation is the formation of blood clots in the atria, which can lead to cerebral embolism, and in turn, stroke and dementia, which seriously endanger life. The elderly should pay special attention, as atrial fibrillation is also a "high-incidence, high-disability, high-mortality" disease.