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Vitamin D along with calcium supplements can help lower blood pressure levels in older adults battling weight gain and obesity, a new study has reported. Published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society, the research investigated how varying doses of the extremely important vitamin can affect the health of over 200 overweight seniors living near Beirut, Lebanon.

“Vitamin D supplementation, when co-administered with calcium, may decrease blood pressure in overweight elderly individuals,” said Dr. Ghada El-Hajj Fuleihan, lead author and professor of medicine at the American University of Beirut. “Obese individuals, individuals with hypertension, and those with low vitamin D levels may benefit the most.”

According to experts, almost one in five individuals across the world are vitamin D deficient, as they fail to meet the daily recommended dose of 600-800 IUs of vitamin D.

A deficiency of vitamin D can be super hazardous to your overall health and well-being. Doctors say symptoms of less vitamin D include severe fatigue, illness, anxiety, bone pain, and slower wound healing.

A low vitamin D level also increases the risk of heart disease, including high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Many past studies have also flagged vitamin D deficiency as an “independent risk factor for high blood pressure." However, research on the subject has mostly been inconclusive, and it is not actually clear whether vitamin D supplements can actually be used to treat or prevent high blood pressure.

In the current study, experts say a lack of placebo in the group makes it very difficult to determine whether the observed reduction in blood pressure is actually caused by vitamin D supplements.

For the study, researchers said they wanted to see how calcium and vitamin D supplementation can affect bone density and insulin resistance. For that, they got 221 volunteers—all of them at least 65 years of age and with a BMI of over 25. The volunteers also had vitamin D blood levels between 10 and 30 ng/mL.

After being split into two groups, the participants received 1000 mg of a daily calcium supplement, with one group receiving a smaller dose of vitamin D (600 IU) while the other received a larger dose (3,750 IU). After six months and one year of health measurements, scientists noticed that blood pressure measurements changed slightly over the course of the study.

Taking a proper look at the data at the end of the experiment, researchers noticed that only patients with obesity saw significant blood pressure benefits from taking the supAccording to researchers, obese people tend to have lower levels of vitamin D, which could explain why they benefit most. The study also found that the supplements lowered blood pressure in participants with hypertension, regardless of BMI or vitamin D group.

Experts believe that even though the study has been able to identify a positive link between taking supplements and improvements in blood pressure, it is not clear if those benefits should actually be attributed to vitamin D.

For those without any symptoms of vitamin D deficiency, the US Preventative Services Task Force says there is no convincing evidence that screening or taking supplements can necessarily improve health outcomes.

And so, to ensure you are getting the vitamin D, you must start with sun exposure and diet, including foods like fortified milk, cereal, cod liver oil, mushrooms, and eggs.

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