New study finds Vitamin D supplements help heart function
We all know the richest source of Vitamin D is sunlight, but the benefits it gives aren't really being appreciated that much. But that kind of treatment towards the "sunshine vitamin" may soon change after a recently released study from the University of Leeds (UK) revealed that taking vitamin D3 doses on a daily basis may actually improve heart function for those patients who suffer from a weakened heart.
Vitamin D is produced naturally in the skin whenever the same is exposed to the sun. The medical community know for a fact that individuals who suffer from heart failure often suffer from vitamin D deficiency. In order to give a solution to this deficiency, the study was eventually conducted, in a way hoping that heart patients will be able to respond well with supplements.
The said study involved exactly 163 subjects, wherein those who got the vitamin supplements reported an improved heart pumping action by more than 30 percent. Meanwhile, those patients from the placebo group didn't experience any change.
According to Medical News Today, there is an estimated 5.1 million people in the U.S. alone who suffer from heart failure. An individual is classified into this group if his or her heart lacks the ability to pump sufficient blood that carries oxygen to the body for the purpose of supporting the organs. Sadly, the prognosis for this health problem is quite poor since half of those diagnosed are going to die within five years.
The head of the research, Dr. Klaus Witte, concluded that a daily dose of vitamin D3 supplement could benefit those patients suffering from chronic heart failure, and this can be very beneficial to adults who are aged 65 and up since they're the most vulnerable to heart-related problems. Likewise, one reason why many of them have vitamin D deficiency is because they no longer are exposed a lot to the sun compared to when they were younger.