Effect of Calcitriol Supplementation on Blood Pressure in Older Adults

ABSTRACTRecent studies suggest that vitamin D plays an important role in the control of blood pressure. Unfortunately, because older adults are more likely to have low 25-hydroxyvitamin-D [25(OH)D] levels, this study investigated whether calcitriol supplementation reduces blood pressure in older adults with hypertension. The design was a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial with 36 randomly assigned subjects (71.7 ± 10 years). Blood pressure and serum levels of 25(OH)D before and after calcitriol intervention (1,000 IU daily for 6 weeks; n = 22) or placebo (n = 23) for 6 weeks were analyzed. At the end of the study, the calcitriol group presented a significant decrease of systolic blood pressure [20.25 mmHg (p = 0.001)] and diastolic blood pressure [7 mmHg (p = 0.01)], compared with the placebo group. In conclusion, 1,000 IU/day of calcitriol for 6 weeks efficiently reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels in this population of older adults presenting with high blood press...