
Vitamin D3 receptors are expressed in a variety of tissues, including vascular smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells. The heart is basically a large muscle and like skeletal muscle it has also receptors for vitamin D. At the same time, vitamin D deficiency, prevalent in 30–50% of adults in developed countries. Why are these widespread vitamin D deficiencies of such great concern? Because deficiency increases the risk of a host of chronic diseases, such as osteoporosis, heart disease, some cancers, and multiple sclerosis, as well as infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis and even the seasonal flu.
There are two forms of vitamin D used in supplements: vitamin D2 (“ergocalciferol,” or pre-vitamin D) and vitamin D3 (“cholecalciferol”). Vitamin D3 is chemically indistinguishable from the form of vitamin D naturally produced in the body. Arginext formula includes Vitamin D3 which is 80% more effective than Vitamin D2 ( often used in food products fortified with Vitamin D).
Check Your Vtamin D3
Ask your doctor to check your vitamin D level. You’ll take a simple blood test called 25- hydroxyvitamin D. The measurement is nanograms per milliliter, and it’s generally recommended to keep your levels between 30 and 60 ng/ml. Dr. Erin Michos, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital in the Division of Cardiology, suggests that to maintain healthy levels most adults on average probably need 1,000 to 2,000 International Unit (IU) a day.
Vitamin D3 and Cardiovascular Health
As Dr Monica Verdoia, M.D. in cardiology, from Eastern Piedmont University in Novara, Italy, concludes, “Present results suggest vitamin D deficiency to be the cause rather than the consequence of atherosclerosis,” Recent evidence of many studies also suggest that Vitamin D supplementation secures better survival, specifically in patients with documented deficiency.