There is no doubt that Vitamin D and calcium, both found in milk, are important for your health. Vitamin D regulates calcium content in the skeletal system and is essential for strong healthy bones.

Recently, there has been an increased interest in Vitamin D and Calcium supplementation to maintain general health and to modify so-called cardiometabolic outcomes including high blood pressure, diabetes and coronary artery disease.

It is know that Vitamin D has a significant role in our body beyond just the skeletal system. Vitamin D is important in regulating vascular tone, fluid status via the renin-angiotensin system, anticoagulant activity and insulin resistance. All of these mechanisms play a pivotal role in developing hypertension, diabetes and coronary artery disease.

It was shown in several studies that patients with low Vitamin D levels are at a higher risk for coronary artery disease. It is logical to assume that supplementing Vitamin D and Calcium will decrease your risk of developing heart disease. More and more patients are started on Vitamin D and Calcium for that reason.

How strong is the evidence to support Vitamin D with or without Calcium to protect against the number one killer – coronary artery disease?

Surprisingly, the evidence is quite scant. Two recent articles published in the Annals of Internal Medicine provide a thorough review of the available literature.

After reviewing multiple publications the authors of the first study concluded that as a whole, there is not enough evidence to support Vitamin D supplementation to improve cardiometabolic outcomes including hypertension, diabetes and coronary artery disease.

It was suggested that, possibly, Vitamin D status is a marker of good health including positive associations with young age, normal body weight and healthy lifestyle, which would independently decrease your risk for heart disease. There is also a negative association between Vitamin D levels and a history of smoking, family history of heart disease and alcohol intake. It does not mean, though, that increasing Vitamin D intake will positively affect the outcome.

The authors of the second paper took a slightly different approach. They looked at Vitamin D AND Calcium supplementation for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

The authors concluded that Vitamin D supplementation may have a beneficial effect on the risk for coronary artery disease in the general population (the keyword here is may). Calcium supplementation has no apparent effect on cardiovascular disease risk. The authors also emphasized that very few studies, actually, investigated the effect of Vitamin D and calcium supplements on the risk for heart disease in the general population.

As a physician, I recommend Vitamin D and Calcium to my patients to maintain stronger bones. More positive evidence is needed before I can recommend it as a prophylaxis against heart disease.