Vitamin D May Decrease The Risk Of High Blood Pressure In Men

By HelloLife

Functions of vitamin D

Vitamin D has many beneficial functions in the body. Its major function is to maintain normal blood levels and for the absorption of calcium. By absorbing calcium it makes bones stronger and maintains their strength as long as the right amount is frequently consumed. It is also being linked to aiding in the protection against osteoporosis, cancer and hypertension, or high blood pressure.

What is vitamin D found in?

Vitamin D is found in some foods like fish, fortified milk, eggs and fish oils. However, it is not found in all dairy products (for instance, ice cream or cheese), even though it is present in milk. Another place that vitamin D naturally occurs is in sunlight. Sunlight may possibly be the best way for your body to absorb great amounts of vitamin D all at once. It does not take a lot of exposure to sunlight to get a significant amount though. If it is difficult to get a vitamin D intake from the sunlight, be sure to include the sufficient amount through diet.

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure (or hypertension) occurs when it becomes difficult for the heart to pump blood to the body. It can cause a hardening of the arteries and further on heart problems.

How do People Get High Blood Pressure?

Being overweight
Smoking
Genetics and family history
Lack of exercise
Stress
Poor diet along with too much salt intake
Drinking too much alcohol on a regular basis

These factors all contribute to the cause of high blood pressure and lifestyle can be changed for some of the factors, in order to lower it.

How Vitamin D Works to Lower Blood Pressure

In a study, people with high blood pressure were exposed to sunlight (UVA and UVB rays) to see the effects of it on their hypertension. Blood pressure levels improved tremendously and went back to a normal state. This is a direct correlation between high blood pressure levels and vitamin D because sunlight is the largest natural form of vitamin D. The reason why it worked was because vitamin D slowed down the production of renin within the body. Renin is a hormone that the body produces that plays a part in hypertension.

How High Blood Pressure Affects Men

Many years ago, high blood pressure was something known to only effect older men. As lifestyles have changed over the years and people have started to become more overweight, it has started effecting younger men. If high blood pressure is ignored over long periods of time it can lead to heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. Younger men with this problem (men in their twenties) have higher diastolic blood pressure, which means that the heart is pumping blood with more pressure between beats. This makes the heart pump harder. Older men experience their blood pressure to being systolic which means that there is more pressure when blood is pumped against the artery walls. This can cause a stiffening of arteries. If younger men ignore their high blood pressure it can lead to developing diabetes at a younger age as well. Younger men can change their diet by adding more vitamin D with food and/or sun exposure, and making themselves healthier to lower overall blood pressure. Sources: http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/hypertension-serious-in-young-men http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/blood-pressure-basics http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-d/NS_patient-vitamind http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-d/NS_patient-vitamind