People with a history of cardiac arrest can protect themselves from future risks with one simple daily habit.
A study by Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City, Utah, found that supplementing with vitamin D3 significantly reduces the risk of: second heart attack Even for those who have already been affected.
In a large randomized clinical trial, researchers monitored patients’ blood levels of vitamin D while adjusting doses to “reach optimal concentrations,” according to a press release.
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They can treat heart attack patients, Higher doses of vitamin D3 Cut your risk of a second heart attack in half.
The findings were presented Sunday at the American Heart Association’s 2025 Scientific Sessions in New Orleans.
The study, called TARGET-D, enrolled 630 patients between April 2017 and May 2023 who had had a heart attack within the previous month. 85% had insufficient vitamin D3 levels.
Participants were divided into two groups, one receiving the targeted group. vitamin D3 treatment, And the other one was not. The goal was to increase blood levels to 40 nanograms per milliliter (40 ng/mL) or higher.
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Participants in the vitamin D treatment group had their blood levels tested once a year to see if they were above 40 ng/ml.
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More than half of them required a first dose of 5,000 international units (IU). (Most adults are recommended to take 600 to 800 IU of vitamin D per day to maintain levels of approximately 30 to 50 ng/mL.)
Participants will be followed until March 2025; cardiovascular health. Of the 630 patients, 107 experienced a major cardiac event.
Dr. Heidi May, principal investigator and cardiovascular epidemiologist at Intermountain Health, said in a statement that no adverse outcomes were observed after administering high doses of vitamin D3.
“We are excited [about] “However, we know that further work is needed to validate these results,” she said.
May said up to two-thirds of people around the world have low levels of vitamin D.
Exposure to sunlight is the most common and natural way to get sufficient amounts of vitamins, but it is decreasing due to the following reasons: Lifestyle changes In recent years, according to Intermountain Magazine.
Dr. Bradley Serwer, a Maryland-based interventional cardiologist and chief medical officer at Vital Solutions, who was not involved in the study, said it has been “long recognized” that maintaining optimal levels of vitamin D has “significant cardiovascular benefits.”
”Previous research “We established a correlation between lower serum vitamin D levels and increased risk of high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, stroke, and heart failure,” he told FOX News Digital.
However, previous research has not demonstrated its effectiveness. vitamin d supplements Sarwar said it helped reduce the risk of heart attacks.
“Notably, these studies often prescribed standard replacement doses, which were often insufficient to restore healthy vitamin D levels,” he noted.
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Although these new findings of a 50% reduction in the risk of a second heart attack are encouraging, cardiologists noted that they pertain to high-risk patients and may not apply to lower-risk populations.
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“Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation in low-risk individuals,” he said. “If vitamin D levels are within the normal range, the evidence regarding the benefits of taking additional supplements is inconclusive.”
Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Mark Siegel commented in a separate interview with Fox News Digital that the study highlights what is already known about vitamin D and heart health.
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“This is an important study on keeping levels normal,” he said. “Vitamin D deficiency causes inflammation and blood clotting, and normal vitamin D levels have been shown to reduce coronary artery disease. heart failure and stroke. ”
Siegel added that vitamin D is “more of a hormone than a vitamin” and is “crucial for the function of organs, including the heart.”
