Vitamin D plays a role in regulating the elasticity of blood vessels, thus impacting blood pressure amplitude, according to new research published in the journal Molecular Endocrinology.

The study explain the mechanism by which vitamin D manages blood pressure, and shows that over time deficiency can lead to cardiovascular damage. Study co-author Olena Andrukhova explained in a news release:

“Vitamin D enhances the production of the enzyme eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase) in the inner layer of blood vessels, the endothelium. This is critical for the regulation of blood pressure. The enzyme produces a molecule called nitric oxide (NO), an important factor for the relaxation of smooth muscles in the blood vessels. When too little NO is formed, the vessels become less flexible. This ultimately leads to higher blood pressure which can give rise to other circulatory diseases. So indirectly, vitamin D controls blood pressure.”

Genetically modified mice that were altered so that vitamin D signaling was not possible to conduct the study. After a year, the modified mice’s blood vessels “had become more rigid and less able to adapt flexibly to the volume of blood streaming through them,” resulting in increased blood pressure amplitude and changes in cardiac structure and function.

Click here to read the news release from the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna.

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