Exploring the Impact of Vitamin D on Cardiovascular Health

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally, accounting for 25% of all deaths in Australia in 2021¹. CVD is estimated to have cost the Australian economy more than $12 billion in 2019-20¹. Although the prevalence of CVD has been declining over time, it remains a public health imperative, accounting for 600,000 hospitalisations in Australia in 2020-21¹. Throughout this period, medications used to treat cardiovascular conditions were the most frequently distributed, totalling more than 100 million prescriptions². While many of the risk factors for CVD are modifiable (poor diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and excessive alcohol consumption), exploring novel nutritional therapeutic approaches is a research priority³.