Abstract
Purpose
Low vitamin D levels have been associated with elevated blood pressure in the general population. Prospective studies, however, have produced conflicting evidence about the blood pressure-lowering effects of vitamin D supplementation. Cardiorespiratory fitness may modulate the vitamin D–blood pressure association. We therefore examined this association in professional athletes, whose high training load serves as a biological control for physical fitness.
Methods
50 male professional handball players (age 26 ± 5 years) were examined. We assessed the central aortic pressure parameters using transfer function-based analysis of oscillometrically obtained peripheral arterial waveforms. Serum 25-OH vitamin D concentrations were determined by chemiluminescent immunoassay. The threshold for insufficiency was set at values of < 30 ng/mL.
Results
Central blood pressure (cBP) was 98 ± 7/60 ± 10 mmHg. The aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) was 6.3 ± 1.0 m/s. Nine athletes (18%) displayed insufficient 25-OH vitamin D levels and had a significantly (p < 0.01) higher cBP compared with the 41 (82%) athletes with sufficient 25-OH vitamin D levels (106 ± 5/68 ± 8 vs. 97 ± 7/58 ± 9 mmHg). Central systolic blood pressure (cSBP) in vitamin D-sufficient athletes was significantly lower in comparison to the healthy reference population (97 mmHg vs. 103 mmHg, p < 0.001). This significance of difference was lost in vitamin D-insufficient athletes (106 mmHg vs. 103 mmHg, p = 0.12).
Conclusion
Significantly raised central systolic and diastolic blood pressure in vitamin D-insufficient elite athletes implicates vitamin D as a potential modifier of vascular functional health.
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Abbreviations
- Aix:
-
Augmentation index
- Aix@75:
-
Augmentation index at heart rate of 75 beats per minute
- BMI:
-
Body mass index
- cBP:
-
Central blood pressure
- cDBP:
-
Central diastolic blood pressure
- cSBP:
-
Central systolic blood pressure
- CRF:
-
Cardiorespiratory fitness
- CLIA:
-
Chemiluminescent immunoassay
- ECG:
-
Electrocardiogram
- K2EDTA:
-
Dipotassium ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid
- min:
-
Minute
- MPO:
-
Maximum power output
- PTH:
-
Parathyroid hormone
- PWV:
-
Aortic pulse wave velocity
- RHR:
-
Resting heart rate
- SD:
-
Standard deviation
- VO2max :
-
Maximum oxygen uptake
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The authors thank Elizabeth Martinson, PhD, for editorial assistance.
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PB, AM, CH, OD, HN contributed to the conception and design of the study. PB, AM, LK, SH, ST contributed to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work. PB and AM drafted the manuscript. PB, AM, LK, SH, ST, OD, HN critically revised the manuscript. All gave final approval and agree to be accountable for all aspects of work ensuring integrity and accuracy.
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Bauer, P., Kraushaar, L., Hölscher, S. et al. Elite athletes as research model: vitamin D insufficiency associates with elevated central blood pressure in professional handball athletes. Eur J Appl Physiol 119, 2265–2274 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04210-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04210-w