Vitamin D level and afib and irregular beats

Has anyone else besides me think that low vitamin d may play a role. For the last 3 years my vitamin d level has stayed between 17 and 20 ng/ml. My latest labs it was 16.2. I have also noticed the episode I has happen with more regularity. They happen maybe every 3 to 4 days and last 4 to 8 hours. The rest of my labs were normal including serum calcium,potassium,sodium and chloride. I also know its not as effective a read as intracellular magnesium but it was also at the high end of normal.

Eddie,

See: <[www.afibbers.org];

George

Eddie,

I was having severe afib attacks every couple weeks that lasted 12-24 hrs. from December through March 2012. During that time, my vitamin D level was 60 ng/ml and I was taking 5,000 IU of D3, so in my case, vitamin D was not a factor. But we are all different. Since vitamin D is a hormone, if it is out of balance, your other hormones can be out of balance (per endocrinologist, Dr. Diana Schwarzbein, The Schwarzbein Principle II), and this may cause a problem.

In my case, sodium seemed to be the culprit. Once I stopped eating processed foods, ate a low sodium diet, and starting taking the supplements recommended by Jackie Burgess in The Afib Report: The Strategy, my afib decreased and I have now been afib free for 6 months. I highly recommend spending the time to read The Strategy. It will change your life if you follow it. I even printed it out so I can refer to it whenever I have a need. It will take some experimenting with brands and amounts of various supplements to get what's right for you, but everyone here will give you guidance.

Best wishes on a quiet, afib-free heart in 2013!

Nancy M.

Yes - definitely... a low D level has many health implications... including cardiovascular function. You need to supplement with vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and be tested periodically to check on your progress.

My experience (starting with a level of 18) was that I needed to take daily doses of at least 5,000 IUs daily.... when I was 'stuck' on a level of only 50, I increased to 10,000 daily through the winter months and finally reached the goal of 60. Overall, I definitely felt better. I had previously had an ablation so I have no way of knowing if that would have also helped as well, but optimizing the D levels made my fibromyalgia symptoms disappear completely and permanently.

One of many published studies on the benefits of vitamin D and CV health.

Mechanistically, emerging data have linked vitamin D administration with improved cardiac function and reduced proteinuria, and hypovitaminosis D is associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and systemic inflammation.
Vitamin D and the Cardiovascular System
[cjasn.asnjournals.org]

Jackie

I have found on a couple of occassions that when I am too aggressive with my vitamin D3 (4,000mg/day) I start getting palpatations and soon after go into Afib. So I keep my dose around 2,000. I am wondering if too much vitamin D is imbalancing my Calcium levels and destabilizing my heart and provoking an episode of Afib - which I only have a couple of a year. Something to think about...moderation is always a good idea. Or as I have heard it, "When in doubt, mellow out".

You can easily confirm what dose of Vitamin D is optimal and safe for you Jeff,

Just test to see Vitamin D levels are too low (far more common) for you, or too high ( much less common), with a combination of a good 25(OH)D3 blood test (the optimal level sweet spot is from 60ng/ml to 80ng/ml .. dont exceed 100ng/ml) along with a full function calcium assimilation panel to insure your calcium levels and function are good to go. Then you will know for sure what dosage is safe for you.

Vitamin D, like most hormone-like biochemicals has a very broad bell-curve-like shape of efficacy and optimal range. Too little or too much can bring problems and as long as you stay under 100ng/ml you should be more than safe with Vitamin D dosing.

Also, take your vitamin D consistently with the largest meal of the day with plenty of fat in the food as this goes a long way toward getting the best absorption and assimilation and thus the highest blood levels of 25(OH)D3 on the lowest dose of oral Vitamin D needed.

In general, keep your 25(OH) D3 levels within the sweet spot optimal range of 60ng/ml to 80ng/ml and certainlyhigher than 50ng/ml as a minimum.

Also, make sure to take a decent dose of Vitamin K2-MK7, Vitamin A retinol form and Vitamin E/tocotrienols along with your Vitamin D to insure you maintain a good relative balance between all 4 critical fat soluble vitamins!

Happy New Year!

Shannon

Thanks a lot of great information.