Lack of vitamin D could be linked to heart disease

LACKING vitamin D could raise older people’s risk of heart failure, according to a study in the journal ESC Heart Failure.

Scientists from the Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil, looked at the records of 137 patients aged 60 and over and found the risk of heart failure was 12 times higher in those with a vitamin D deficiency. Low vitamin D levels are thought to be linked to inflammation, which, in turn, has been linked to heart disease.

Last year, Public Health England recommended that over-65s take a daily supplement of vitamin D all year round to minimise health risks.