A new study published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reveals that people who have a deficiency in vitamin D are more prone to cardiovascular disease, heart attacks and strokes.

The new study adds to the growing body of evidence that vitamin D is essential for our health. Researchers have long sustained that vitamin D plays a significant role in causing no less than seventeen varieties of cancers as well as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, birth defects, osteoporosis and other serious conditions.

People should have between 20 and 30 nanograms per millimeter of the vitamin in their blood, most doctors believe. The Institute of Medicine recommends 200 units daily of vitamin D in children and adults up to age 50, and 400 to 600 units for older adults. However, these quantities are far below, according to some doctors who recommend supplements as well.

Researchers involved in the Framingham Heart Study suggest that patients with vitamin D levels below 15 ng/ml were twice as likely to experience a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular event within the next five years compared to those with higher levels. The risk remained unchanged even when they adjusted for traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

“Vitamin D deficiency is an unrecognized, emerging cardiovascular risk factor, which should be screened for and treated. Vitamin D is easy to assess, and supplementation is simple, safe and inexpensive,” said James O’Keefe, MD, cardiologist and director of Preventive Cardiology at the Mid America Heart Institute, Kansas City, MO.

Dr. O’Keefe further highlighted the importance of restoring vitamin D levels to normal in order to maintain good musculoskeletal health and improve heart health and prognosis.

It is estimated that half of US adults and 30 percent of children and teenagers have low levels of vitamin D, which activate the rennin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, thus predisposing patients to hypertension and a stiffening and thickening of the heart and blood vessels. Low levels of the same vitamin are responsible for altered hormone levels and immune function, which can increase the risk of diabetes, a major contributor to cardiovascular disease.

Vitamin D is found in many dietary sources such as fish, eggs, fortified milk, and cod liver oil. The sun also contributes significantly to the daily production of vitamin D. More exactly, as little as 10 minutes of exposure is thought to be enough to prevent deficiencies. This is the reason why the vitamin is also called the “sunshine vitamin.”

However, people must balance the risks and benefits of sun exposure. “A little bit of sunshine is a good thing, but the use of sunscreen to guard against skin cancer is important if you have more than 15 to 30 minutes of intense sunlight exposure,” Dr. O’Keefe noted.

Those with known risk factors for vitamin D deficiency are recommended 25 (OH0 D screening. They include people of older age, people with darkly pigmented skin, people with reduced sun exposure due to seasonal variation or living far from the equator, those smoking, obese people, and people with kidney or liver disease.