Vitamin D increases HDL

A few references, both on-line and peer-reviewed, captured August 2010

from Health Scan Blog - Dr. Davis Aug 2008

http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/vitamin-d-and-hdl.html
"Add vitamin D to achieve our target serum level . . . HDL jumps to 50, 60, 70, even 90 mg/dl. "
"I've witnessed this effect many dozens of time"

from Health Central Nov 2008

http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/c/1435/47556/hdl-naturally
"Vitamin D?Restoration of vitamin D levels to normal can yield increases in HDL of 10, 20, even 30 mg/dl, though it may require up to a year for the full effect to show."

Vitamin D supplementation may improve HDL cholesterol levels

July 2009 J Clin Lipidol 2009;
"Each 10-ng/ml increment in serum vitamin D level was associated with an increase in HDL cholesterol of 3.80–4.20 mg/dl (0.10–0.11 mmol/l) following adjustment for established determinants of HDL cholesterol."

Supplementation with calcium + vitamin D enhances the beneficial effect of weight loss on plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations.

Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jan;85(1):54-9.
Major GC, Alarie F, Doré J, Phouttama S, Tremblay A.
Division of Kinesiology, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Laval University, Ste-Foy, Canada.

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BACKGROUND: Adequate calcium intake can have a favorable effect on some metabolic variables.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to determine the effects of daily calcium intake and of supplementation with calcium and vitamin D (calcium+D) during a weight-loss intervention on blood pressures, plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations, and glucose and insulin concentrations in low calcium consumers.

DESIGN: Healthy, overweight or obese women (n = 63) with a daily calcium intake of < 800 mg/d were randomly assigned in a double-blind manner to 1 of 2 groups: the group consuming 2 tablets/d of a calcium + vitamin D supplement (600 mg elemental calcium and 200 IU vitamin D/tablet) or the group consuming placebo; both groups observed a 700 kcal/d energy restriction. These 63 women then completed a 15-wk weight-loss intervention.

RESULTS: Initial daily calcium intake was significantly correlated with plasma HDL cholesterol (r = 0.41, P < 0.001) and with 2-h postload glycemia (r = -0.29, P < 0.05) during an oral-glucose-tolerance test, independent of fat mass and waist circumference. After the 15-wk intervention, significantly greater decreases in total:LDL and LDL:HDL (P < 0.01 for both) and of LDL cholesterol (P < 0.05) were observed in the calcium+D group than in the placebo group. The differences in total:HDL and LDL:HDL were independent of changes in fat mass and in waist circumference. A tendency for more beneficial changes in HDL cholesterol, triacylglycerol, and total cholesterol was also observed in the calcium+D group (P = 0.08).