CVD is a multifactorial disease that includes a complex interplay between genetics, environmental factors, and risk factors.ĭespite effective measures for control and modification of traditional risk factors, a significant amount of risk remains. This number increases to 48.0% when including hypertension.

According to the American Heart Association, 9.0% (24.3 million in 2016) of adults (≥20 years of age) in the United States live with CVD (including coronary heart disease, heart failure, and stroke). Despite observational evidence as well as a conventional consensus that vitamin D supplementation improves CV health, these studies suggest that vitamin D supplementation likely has no benefit in this regard, at least in the follow-up period and populations evaluated.Ĭardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most common cause of death in the developed world and is forecasted to be the leading cause of death and morbidity in developing countries by 2020. However, more recently, randomized trials have been conducted which utilize CVD outcomes as primary endpoints, while assessing the effects of high dose vitamin D supplementation on CV health. Additionally, these studies include methodological inconsistencies, making it difficult to ascertain the benefits of vitamin D supplementation. Most of the available evidence includes large observational studies and smaller randomized trials that scarcely evaluate CV outcomes as primary endpoints. Defining these relationships has been challenging, and the clinical applications of vitamin D screening and supplementation for CVD risk prevention and modification have only recently become clearer. Vitamin D deficiency is globally prevalent and has been associated with the pathogenesis and complications of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors.

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