Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin which has many health benefits. This includes being the key to allow calcium to be absorbed properly in your body to promoting an optimal immune system function. A role which you may be less familiar with is the role that vitamin D may play in promoting optimal cholesterol levels.
Observational research found that being deficient in vitamin D resulted in the ‘good’ HDL-cholesterol. This is the type of cholesterol which takes cholesterol from parts of your body back to your liver to be excreted. Additional studies have reported that when levels of vitamin D became sufficient, this reduced total cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL- cholesterol. LDL-cholesterol which builds up and can cause plaques in your arteries. This can lead to heart disease and stroke. Both high levels of triglycerides and total cholesterol increases your risk of heart disease.
The role of vitamin D in reducing your levels of cholesterol are proposed to be at the cellular level. The mechanisms of how vitamin D reduces your cholesterol levels is by blocking the uptake of cholesterol into the endothelium, which is a thin membrane which lines the cells of your heart and blood vessels. As well as reverse the laying down of cholesterol in the blood vessels by decreasing the number of receptors which have the role to lay down more cholesterol. By decreasing the number of receptor, the function of this reduces in the body which ultimately leads to lower levels of cholesterol being laid down.
Thirdly, vitamin D switches the type of macrophage, which is a type of immune cell, from a M2 macrophage to a M1 type. This changes the characteristics which support a reduction in cholesterol promotion and build up in your blood vessels and arteries.
This research provides potential insight to the link that vitamin D has to reducing your cholesterol levels. The use of supplementation is not supported in all studies to help improve your cholesterol levels and more research is still needed in the area. The take home message, opt for a lifestyle and whole food approach.
The main source of vitamin D comes from the sun but there are food sources which also provide your body with this fat-soluble vitamin. This includes foods like seafood like seafood, eggs which include the yolk, dairy, and fortified products like cereals, orange juice and margarine.
The adequate intake for vitamin D recommended by the National Health and Medical Research council for men and women aged between nineteen and fifty years of age is five micrograms per day. Between the age of fifty-one and seventy years the adequate intake increases to ten micrograms per day. From the age of seventy-one years and above the adequate intake further increases to fifteen micrograms per day.
Food sources of vitamin D include:
Note: 1 microgram (µg) is equal to 1 international unit (IU)
- Seafood: Seafood provides sources of vitamin D3. There are two types of vitamin D, D3 and D2. Vitamin D3 is the more bioavailable form. This means this that vitamin D3 is more easily absorbed by your body.
- Sardines, canned, 2 sardines 1.2 µg
- Tuna, canned, 85g 1.0 µg
- Trout (rainbow), farmed, cooked, 85g 16.2 µg
- Salmon (sockeye), cooked, 85g 14.2 µg
- Fortified food products from cereal, breads, spreads like margarines and butter, and plant-based drinks like soy.
- Cod liver oil 1 teaspoon 34 µg
- Dairy
- Milk, 2% fat, Vit D fortified 1 cup 2.9 µg
- Cheddar cheese, 28g 0.3 µg
- Liver, beef, 85g 1.0 µg
- Egg yolk
- One large egg yolk 3.8 μg
- Mushrooms exposed to UV light: This provides vitamin D in the form of vitamin D2.
- Mushrooms, exposed to UV light, ½ cup 9.2 µg
Take home message: To achieve healthy cholesterol levels a whole lifestyle approach is best. While no single nutrient can create optimal cholesterol levels ensuring you are getting enough vitamin D could be one important component of achieving healthy cholesterol levels. A food and lifestyle first approach are best which gives your body a matrix of nutrition components, including vitamin D to support healthy cholesterol levels and a healthy heart.
References:
- Renke G, Starling-Soares B, Baesso T, Petronio R, Aguiar D, Paes R. Effects of Vitamin D on Cardiovascular Risk and Oxidative Stress. Nutrients. 2023; 15(3):769. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15030769
- Oh, J.; Weng, S.; Felton, S.K.; Bhandare, S.; Riek, A.; Butler, B.; Proctor, B.M.; Petty, M.; Chen, Z.; Schechtman, K.B.; et al. 1,25(OH)2 vitamin d inhibits foam cell formation and suppresses macrophage cholesterol uptake in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Circulation 2009, 120, 687–698
- Szeto, F.L.; Reardon, C.A.; Yoon, D.; Wang, Y.; Wong, K.E.; Chen, Y.; Kong, J.; Liu, S.Q.; Thadhani, R.; Getz, G.S. Vitamin d receptor signaling inhibits atherosclerosis in mice. Mol. Endocrinol. 2012, 26, 1091–1101.
- Skaaby, T.; Husemoen, L.L.N.; Pisinger, C.; Jorgensen, T.; Thuesen, B.H.; Fenger, M.; Linneberg, A. Vitamin D status and changes in cardiovascular risk factors: A prospective study of a general population. Cardiology 2012, 123, 62–70.
- Jaimungal, S.; Wehmeier, K.; Mooradian, A.D.; Haas, M.J. The emerging evidence for vitamin D-mediated regulation of apolipoprotein A-1 synthesis. Nutr. Res. 2011, 31, 805–812.
- Schmitt, E.B.; Nahas-Neto, J.; Bueloni-Dias, F.; Poloni, P.; Orsatti, C.L.; Nahas, E.A.P. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with metabolic syndrome in postmenopausal women. Maturitas 2018, 107, 97–102.
- Lupton, J.R.; Faridi, K.F.; Martin, S.S.; Sharma, S.; Kulkarni, K.; Jones, S.R.; Michos, E.D. Deficient serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D is associated with an atherogenic lipid profile: The very large database of lipids (VLDL-3) study. J. Clin. Lipidol. 2016, 10, 72–81.
- Warren, T.; Mcallister, R.; Morgan, A.; Rai, T.; Mcgilligan, V.; Ennis, M.; Page, C.; Kelly, C.; Peace, A.; Corfe, B.; et al. The Interdependency and Co-Regulation of the Vitamin D and Cholesterol Metabolism. Cells 2021, 6, 2007.
- Ponda, M.P.; Huang, X.; Odeh, M.A.; Breslow, J.L.; Kaufman, H.W. Vitamin D may not improve lipid levels: A serial clinical laboratory data study. Circulation 2012, 126, 270–277
- Endothelial Function Testing. Cedars-Sinai. https://www.cedars-sinai.org/programs/heart/clinical/womens-heart/conditions/endothelial-function-testing.html
