Vitamin D3 may reduce blood vessel and kidney damage associated with obstructive sleep apnea and vitamin D deficiency, according to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology.
Researchers conducted the experiment on 56 rats, in which they modeled the periodic oxygen shortage during sleep that is characteristic of sleep apnea. Some of the animals also had vitamin D deficiency, and some were given vitamin D3 in two different doses over 14 days. The scientists assessed the function of the inner lining of blood vessels and the condition of kidney tissue.
Combined deficiency worsened damage
The combination of severe oxygen shortage and vitamin D deficiency produced the most pronounced disruptions, the researchers found. Markers of inflammation and vascular damage rose, while levels of nitric oxide, which is needed for normal blood vessel dilation, fell. The researchers also found damage to the kidney's tubules in this group.
Giving the animals vitamin D3 weakened these changes, and the higher of the two doses proved more effective than the lower one. Animals that received the vitamin showed none of the characteristic tubular kidney damage seen in the untreated, deficient group.
What the findings could mean
The study's authors suggest vitamin D3 could potentially serve as an additional way to protect blood vessels and kidneys in cases of sleep apnea, particularly when combined with vitamin D deficiency. They cautioned that the research was carried out only in animals, so the dosages and results cannot yet be applied to humans.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep, often because the airway becomes blocked. The condition has previously been linked to cardiovascular and kidney problems, which is part of why researchers are looking for ways to limit the damage it causes.
Frontiers in Physiology is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes research on the physiological mechanisms underlying health and disease.
The report follows earlier research that found vitamin D deficiency in people with type 2 diabetes is linked to a higher risk of developing epilepsy.
