In cases of chronic kidney disease, there are a number of conditions which can and do occur concomitantly. One of the worst of these is cardiovascular disease. Heart attacks and strokes can often prove fatal or otherwise completely devastating and these can seemingly come out of nowhere, quickly becoming as dangerous to the CKD patient’s health as their CKD.
Luckily, some new research has shed some light on a promising technique to help positively benefit cases of heart disease that may be lurking unseen in CKD patients. Inside of your heart and blood vessels, lies the endothelium. This is a thin membrane with cells that release the substances responsible for the contracting and relaxing of your heart muscle, how effectively your blood clots, and the quality of your immune function, among other tasks.
A new study in the form of a short-term intervention utilizing Vitamin D has significantly improved endothelial function, which led researchers to conclude vitamin D supplementation could held improve heart function in kidney disease patients at risk of developing heart attacks, stroke, etc.
Researchers used data obtained from a wide variety of randomized trials on file which involved the use of Vitamin D on patients with CKD and an observable decrease in blood pressure due to more effective arterial blood flow as a result.
The wide range in subjects, subject age and the forms of Vitamin D used throughout the different studies, (paricalcitol and cholecalciferol) led researchers to believe there are some very concrete benefits of Vitamin D supplementation which can benefit CKD patients.
Although more research needs to be done before any definitive conclusions are made, this study does provide some keen insight into a potentially potent form of cardiovascular protection.
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