Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and hypertension in premenopausal and postmenopausal women: National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2007-2010.

Abstract

A recent meta-analysis suggested that the association between vitamin D and risk of hypertension was markedly stronger in women aged <55 years in observational data, while the association became null in women aged ≥55 years. We therefore hypothesized that this difference in associations might potentially be caused by the change in oestrogen around menopause. Our objective was to investigate associations between vitamin D status and hypertension risk and to evaluate those associations as they may differ according to menopausal status. A cross-sectional population survey conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 2007-2010 formed the setting for the present study. We analysed data from 2098 premenopausal women and 2298 postmenopausal women. After adjustment for sociodemographic, behavioural and dietary factors, higher concentrations both of serum total 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D3) revealed significant dose-dependent trends with lower risk of hypertension (Ptrend = 0·005 and 0·014, respectively) in premenopausal women. In those women, 25(OH)D ≥ 50 nmol/l (sufficient; in contrast to deficient, vitamin D < 30 nmol/l) appeared to have a protective effect against hypertension (OR = 0·64, 95 % CI 0·39, 1·02 for total 25(OH)D and OR = 0·60, 95 % CI 0·36, 1·00 for 25(OH)D3). Neither association with hypertension was observed in postmenopausal women. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were associated with lower risk of hypertension in premenopausal women, but not in postmenopausal women.