Abnormalities in electrocardiography (ECG) readings that detect signs of heart disease are associated with low vitamin D levels in a recent study published in the journal Clinical Cardiology, the Vitamin D Council reports.

Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers examined the vitamin D status and ECG of 5,108 people and followed them for 13.2 years to determine the impact of ECG abnormalities on long-term cardiovascular health and all-cause mortality rates. Just 5.9 percent of those with vitamin D levels greater than 40 ng/ml had ECG abnormalities, while 11 percent of those with insufficient levels. 20-40 ng/ml, and 13 percent of those with deficient levels had major abnormalities. In total, the analysis showed that vitamin D deficient individuals had a 136 percent increased risk of having ECG major abnormalities.

“Our study suggests an independent, statistically significant association between vitamin D levels and major ECG abnormalities,” the researchers concluded.

The Vitamin D Council notes that vitamin D receptors are located throughout the heart and numerous mechanisms by which vitamin D impacts hearth health have been previously discovered, something they discuss here.

Click here to read more on the current study from the Vitamin D Council.

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