Genetic link found between vitamin D and congestive heart failure (USA)

A variant of the gene responsible for the activation of vitamin D is associated with the development of congestive heart failure in individuals with hypertension, new research shows. The results confirm previous studies suggesting that vitamin D is an important player in cardiovascular health, according to researchers. "There is a great deal of information out there now about vitamin D and how important it is for cardiovascular health," said senior investigator Dr Robert Simpson (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI). "My lab was the first to study it in animals back in the early 1980s. We became interested because of information that the vitamin-D receptor existed in heart tissue. Subsequently, there have now been a number of clinical studies showing the importance of adequate vitamin-D status for human heart health." The results of the study are published in the November 2009 issue of Pharmacogenomics - Theheart.org