Vitamin D May Protect Against Peripheral Artery Disease April
16, 2008 - (BRONX, NY) - People with low vitamin D levels may
face an increased risk for peripheral artery disease (PAD),
according to researchers at the Albert Einstein College of
Medicine of Yeshiva University. The scientists reported their
findings at the American Heart Association's Arteriosclerosis,
Thrombosis and Vascular Biology Annual Conference 2008. Image:
Michal Melamed (Nephrology), lead author of study finding low
vitamin D levels may indicate increased PAD risk. PAD is a
common disease that occurs when arteries in the legs become
narrowed by fatty deposits, causing pain and numbness and
impairing the ability to walk. PAD affects about eight million
Americans and is associated with significant disease and death,
according to the American Heart Association. People obtain
vitamin D by making it themselves (through skin exposure to
sunlight), by ingesting foods such as fish and fortified dairy
products that contain vitamin D, or by taking