Here’s how vitamin-D rich foods can do a world of good to your heart health

Bring some sunshine in your food and life with vitamin D, because according to science it’s the food for your soul.

Vitamin D rich food is all you need for better heart health. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

IANS Updated: 9 Apr 2020, 19:20 pm IST

Nutrients play a very important role in making or breaking our health. Although, we take care of consuming most of them in abundance there is one that we just ignore and mind it that one vitamin is a one-stop-shop for almost all your health worries. Wondering which vitamin we are referring to? Well, it’s vitamin D.

If you want to live longer with a healthy heart then start consuming vitamin D-rich food as researchers have found that consuming foods high in vitamin D can have heart-protective effects.

ageing parents — Vitamin D is good for your parents health too. Image Courtesy: Shutterstock

Benefits of consuming vitamin D
Vitamin D is a nutrient found in some foods that is needed for health and to maintain strong bones. It does so by helping the body absorb calcium (one of bone’s main building blocks) from food and supplements.

Some food items that are high in vitamin D are salmon fish, herring and sardines, cheese, cod liver oil, canned tuna, egg yolks, mushrooms, and fortified foods.

People who get too little vitamin D may develop soft, thin, and brittle bones, a condition known as rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.

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vitamin d deficiency — Pregnant women must consume vitamin D in abundance. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

Vitamin D is great for your heart health
The current study, published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, aimed to evaluate the association between dietary vitamin D intake and 10-year first fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular disease (CVD), conventional CVD risk factors and surrogate markers related to inflammation, coagulation, insulin resistance, liver and renal function.

The research from Harokopio University was conducted during 2001-2012 and included 1,514 men and 1,528 women from the greater Athens area, in Greece.

According to the researchers, dietary assessment was based on a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire.

Daily intake of vitamin D was calculated using a standardised food database.

The research found that in the lowest, middle, and highest categories of vitamin D intake, cardiovascular events (such as heart attacks and strokes) occurred in 24%, 17%, and 12% of men and 14%, 10%, and 11% of women.

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Stroke — A diet rich in vitamin D and an active lifestyle can help you avoid a stroke. Image courtesy: Shutterstock.

In contrast with vitamin D supplementation trials that have shown modest to neutral beneficial effects on heart health, this study revealed that increased vitamin D intake from food sources may protect against heart-related problems, especially in men.

So, from now on don’t forget to miss out on vitamin D rich food for yourself whenever you next hit the supermarket.