A new study shows people with heart disease and low levels of vitamin D in their blood have a great risk of dying from different causes and particularly from cardiovascular disease. According to health authorities, lack of vitamin D has been blamed for everything from weakened bones to rickets, but now Harald Dobnig, M.D., of the Medical University of Gaz here, and colleagues concluded in the study published in the June 23 isssue of the Archives of Internal Medicine that it increases the risk of a heart attack.

The study found people with the lowest levels of vitamin D – which is produced when the body is exposed to sunlight – were two times more likely to suffer heart failure, heart attack or stroke or to die of any cause than those with higher levels, even after adjusting for risk factors such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. The “sunshine vitamin” helps the body absorb calcium and is considered important for bone health.

The study looked at 3,258 men and women who had been referred for an angiogram of their heart arteries. The patients were followed for about eight years. During this period 737 died, including 463 from heart-related problems.

A previous research study has linked low levels of vitamin D with high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity, which can contribute to heart disease. Another study, published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, showed that vitamin D could prevent heart failure from developing in rats.

Vitamin D might lower blood pressure, regulate inflammation, reduce calcification of coronary arteries, affect the heart muscle or reduce respiratory infections during the winter time, Dr. Edward Giovannucci of the Harvard School of Public Health said in a previous study.

It was estimated that 50% to 60% of people do not have the satisfactory vitamin-D status.

“Apart from the proved effects that vitamin D has on bone metabolism and neuromuscular function, appropriate serum levels are associated with a decrease in mortality,” the researchers wrote.