Peripheral arterial disease associated with low vitamin D

Published on July 2, 2019

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a circulatory condition in which narrowed blood vessels reduce blood flow to the limbs. While many people with PAD have no or mild symptoms such as leg pain, it is associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

PAD is a common complication of diabetes. Last month (June 2019), results from a study assessing the association between vitamin D and PAD among 1,018 type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients living in China were published.

What were the findings of the study?

In these T2D patients, only 20% were found to have 25(OH)D levels of at least 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/L). Patients with the lowest vitamin D levels, less than 10 ng/ml (25 nmol/L), had almost four times the risk compared to patients with levels at or above 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/L) (P=0.03).

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This association was adjusted for other risk factors such as age, sex, BMI, smoking, season, coronary heart disease, hypertension, cerebral infarction, and duration of diabetes.

How do I know if my vitamin D levels are supportive of good health?

Make sure you and your loved ones know your vitamin D level and are taking daily steps to keep it at a level of 40-60 ng/ml (100-150 nmol/L). Find out your levels today! Log on to the shop (click the link below) to get your tests and see for yourself if your levels can be improved.

Make sure you track your results before and after, about every 6 months!

How can I track my vitamin D intake and nutrient levels?

To help you track your nutrient intake and nutrient levels, GrassrootsHealth has created an online tracking system called myData-myAnswers. You can track any of your supplemental and dietary nutrient intakes to see how they impact your levels and overall health. Check it out today!

How Can You Use this Information for YOUR Health?

Having and maintaining healthy vitamin D and other nutrient levels can help improve your health now and for your future. Measuring is the only way to make sure you are getting enough!

STEP 1 Order your at-home blood spot test kit to measure vitamin D and other nutrients of concern to you, such as omega-3s, magnesium, essential and toxic elements (zinc, copper, selenium, lead, cadmium, mercury); include hsCRP as a marker of inflammation or HbA1c for blood sugar health

STEP 2 Answer the online questionnaire as part of the GrassrootsHealth study

STEP 3 Using our educational materials and tools (such as our dose calculators), assess your results to determine if you are in your desired target range or if actions should be taken to get there

STEP 4 After 3-6 months of implementing your changes, re-test to see if you have achieved your target level(s)

Enroll in D*action and Build Your Custom Test Kit!