Association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and vitamin D dietary supplementation and risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among adults with hypertension

Abstract Background The relationship between vitamin D status and mortality among adults with hypertension remains unclear. Methods This prospective cohort study involved a sample of 19,500 adults with hypertension who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2001 to 2018. We utilized a weighted COX proportional hazard model to assess the association between vitamin D status and mortality. This statistical model calculates hazard ratios (HR) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results The study indicated that lower serum 25(OH)D concentration was associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality among individuals with hypertension. Specially. Those with concentrations between 25.0 and 49.9 nmol/L (HR = 1.71, 95%CI = 1.22–2.40) and less than 25.0 nmol/L (HR = 1.97, 95%CI = 1.15–3.39) had higher hazard ratios for all-cause mortality. Individuals with hypertension who took vitamin D supplements had a lower risk of all-cause mortality, but not the risk of CVD mortality (HR 0.75, 95%CI 0.54–1.03), compared to those who did not supplement (HR = 0.76, 95%CI = 0.61–0.94). Subgroup analysis further revealed that vitamin D supplementation was associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality among individuals without diabetes (HR = 0.65, 95%CI = 0.52–0.81) and individuals without CVD (HR = 0.75, 95%CI = 0.58–0.97), and a decreased risk of CVD mortality among individuals without diabetes (HR = 0.63, 95%CI = 0.45–0.88) and without CVD (HR = 0.61, 95%CI = 0.40–0.92). Furthermore, higher-dose vitamin D supplementation was also associated with a greater reduction in all-cause mortality among hypertensive individuals, and there was the potential synergistic effect of combining normal-dose calcium and vitamin D supplementation, showing a superior effect on mortality compared to low-dose supplementation in adults with hypertension. Conclusions This prospective cohort study demonstrated a significant association between lower serum 25 (OH)D concentration and increased all-cause mortality among adults with hypertension. Furthermore, the study found that vitamin D supplementation had a strong and significantly positive correlation with reduced all-cause and CVD mortality among hypertensive individuals without diabetes or CVD. This positive correlation suggests that vitamin D supplementation could potentially be an effective strategy to reduce the risk of mortality in this specific group of people.