A new study has found that vitamin D3 can be a lifesaver for the over 5 million Americans being treated for heart failure.1
About half of heart failure patients die within five years of diagnosis. But excited researchers are calling the vitamin discovery a “significant breakthrough” that will help millions not just survive, but live better-quality lives.
Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough oxygen-rich blood to support other organs. This can cause a heart attack.
It also can restrict patients’ lives. They become short of breath easily. They suffer severe fatigue and weakness. Swelling in the legs and feet is common.
In the recent study, scientists followed 160 heart failure patients. Each was using a drug treatment or on a pacemaker. Half the patients took 4,000 IUs of vitamin D3 a day. The other half took a placebo.2
Vitamin D3: Heart Failure Game Changer
After a year, the researchers had the patients take an echocardiogram to measure heart function. Scientists discovered the group taking D3 improved their blood flow by over 30%.3
And their hearts improved by another measurement as well. It’s something cardiologists call “ejection fraction.” It’s how much blood the heart pumps with each beat.
A healthy person has an ejection fraction of 60-70%. But the average ejection fraction of heart failure patients at the start of the study was only 26%.
The vitamin D3 takers improved to 34%. The placebo group showed no improvement.
Dr. Klaus Witte of the University of Leeds School of Medicine in the UK was the lead researcher. “These findings could make a significant difference to the care of heart failure patients,” he said.
Vitamin D3 is often lacking in heart failure patients because they tend to be older and less likely to engage in outdoor activities.
But everybody needs to make sure they get adequate amounts of this vital nutrient. It’s been linked to a myriad of health benefits. They include lower risk of heart attack, cataracts, high blood pressure, and Parkinson’s disease.
Vitamin D3 is produced when sunlight hits the skin. But many people, especially those in northern climates, don’t get enough sun to produce adequate vitamin D. A few foods contain vitamin D. They include fatty fish such as wild-caught salmon and tuna, grass-fed beef liver, and pastured eggs.4
We recommend that everybody get 20 minutes a day of sunshine with your arms and legs uncovered. If you can’t do that, take a vitamin D3 supplement at a dosage of 5,000 IUs a day.
But there’s another thing you should know about heart health…
The American Heart Association admits more than half of men who die of heart disease show no symptoms. But it’s not because the symptoms weren’t there… Doctors just couldn’t find them.
Discover the little-known test that detects heart disease quicker than the ones used in every doctor’s office across the country… And how a natural “warrior extract” can treat it without causing dangerous side effects.
Get all the details HERE.
In Good Health,
Angela Salerno
Executive Director, INH Health Watch
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References:
1http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/05/daily-dose-of-vitamin-d-can-improve-function-in-damaged-hearts/
2http://content.onlinejacc.org/article.aspx?articleID=2507290#tab1
3http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/308638.php
4https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/