Vitamin D3 Levels Flag Early Heart Disease

VERONA, ITALY — Vitamin D₃ deficiency was found to be highly prevalent in adults with type 2 diabetes and was strongly and independently associated with early signs of atherosclerosis in a study conducted in Italy.

The results add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃ may be inversely associated with cardiovascular disease, as well as with some cancers and metabolic syndrome.

Further follow-up and interventional studies are needed to determine whether hypovitaminosis D₃ predicts the development of atherosclerosis in people with type 2 diabetes, and whether vitamin D₃ supplementation would be protective against atherosclerosis, Dr. Giovanni Targher and colleagues reported in a poster presentation at a joint meeting of the Italian Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.

Using a chemiluminescence immunoassay, the investigators compared winter serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D₃) in 390 consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes and 390 nondiabetic age- and gender-matched controls. Hypovitaminosis D₃ was defined as a 25(OH)D₃ level of 37.5 nmol/L or lower. Common carotid intimal medial thickening was measured using ultrasonography only in patients with diabetes by a single operator who was blinded to patient details.

Significantly more patients with diabetes had hypovitaminosis D₃, compared with controls (33.3% vs. 16.4%, respectively), reported the authors, who are with the division of internal medicine, Sacro Cuore Hospital of Negrar (Italy). In addition, the 130 patients with diabetes and hypovitaminosis D₃ had a significant increase in carotid intimal medial thickening, compared with the 260 vitamin D-sufficient diabetics (1.10 mm vs. 0.87 mm, respectively).

Compared with their vitamin D-sufficient counterparts, the diabetic patients with hypovitaminosis D₃ were also slightly older (59 years vs. 57 years) and had significantly higher hemoglobin A_1c (7.5% vs. 7.2%), fibrinogen (4.7 g/L vs. 4.3 g/L), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (5.0 mg/L vs. 4.3 mg/L) concentrations.

VERONA, ITALY — Vitamin D₃ deficiency was found to be highly prevalent in adults with type 2 diabetes and was strongly and independently associated with early signs of atherosclerosis in a study conducted in Italy.

The results add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃ may be inversely associated with cardiovascular disease, as well as with some cancers and metabolic syndrome.

Further follow-up and interventional studies are needed to determine whether hypovitaminosis D₃ predicts the development of atherosclerosis in people with type 2 diabetes, and whether vitamin D₃ supplementation would be protective against atherosclerosis, Dr. Giovanni Targher and colleagues reported in a poster presentation at a joint meeting of the Italian Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.

Using a chemiluminescence immunoassay, the investigators compared winter serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D₃) in 390 consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes and 390 nondiabetic age- and gender-matched controls. Hypovitaminosis D₃ was defined as a 25(OH)D₃ level of 37.5 nmol/L or lower. Common carotid intimal medial thickening was measured using ultrasonography only in patients with diabetes by a single operator who was blinded to patient details.

Significantly more patients with diabetes had hypovitaminosis D₃, compared with controls (33.3% vs. 16.4%, respectively), reported the authors, who are with the division of internal medicine, Sacro Cuore Hospital of Negrar (Italy). In addition, the 130 patients with diabetes and hypovitaminosis D₃ had a significant increase in carotid intimal medial thickening, compared with the 260 vitamin D-sufficient diabetics (1.10 mm vs. 0.87 mm, respectively).

Compared with their vitamin D-sufficient counterparts, the diabetic patients with hypovitaminosis D₃ were also slightly older (59 years vs. 57 years) and had significantly higher hemoglobin A_1c (7.5% vs. 7.2%), fibrinogen (4.7 g/L vs. 4.3 g/L), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (5.0 mg/L vs. 4.3 mg/L) concentrations.

VERONA, ITALY — Vitamin D₃ deficiency was found to be highly prevalent in adults with type 2 diabetes and was strongly and independently associated with early signs of atherosclerosis in a study conducted in Italy.

The results add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃ may be inversely associated with cardiovascular disease, as well as with some cancers and metabolic syndrome.

Further follow-up and interventional studies are needed to determine whether hypovitaminosis D₃ predicts the development of atherosclerosis in people with type 2 diabetes, and whether vitamin D₃ supplementation would be protective against atherosclerosis, Dr. Giovanni Targher and colleagues reported in a poster presentation at a joint meeting of the Italian Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.

Using a chemiluminescence immunoassay, the investigators compared winter serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D₃) in 390 consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes and 390 nondiabetic age- and gender-matched controls. Hypovitaminosis D₃ was defined as a 25(OH)D₃ level of 37.5 nmol/L or lower. Common carotid intimal medial thickening was measured using ultrasonography only in patients with diabetes by a single operator who was blinded to patient details.

Significantly more patients with diabetes had hypovitaminosis D₃, compared with controls (33.3% vs. 16.4%, respectively), reported the authors, who are with the division of internal medicine, Sacro Cuore Hospital of Negrar (Italy). In addition, the 130 patients with diabetes and hypovitaminosis D₃ had a significant increase in carotid intimal medial thickening, compared with the 260 vitamin D-sufficient diabetics (1.10 mm vs. 0.87 mm, respectively).

Compared with their vitamin D-sufficient counterparts, the diabetic patients with hypovitaminosis D₃ were also slightly older (59 years vs. 57 years) and had significantly higher hemoglobin A_1c (7.5% vs. 7.2%), fibrinogen (4.7 g/L vs. 4.3 g/L), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (5.0 mg/L vs. 4.3 mg/L) concentrations.