Several questions about vitamin D and cholesterol levels have been asked of us in the past, such as “Does increasing my vitamin D level or supplementing with vitamin D raise cholesterol levels,” or “Do vitamin D levels change with cholesterol levels?” While there have been a small handful of studies and trials on the subject, we have not had any specific answers for those questions up until this point. A paper recently published helps to shed light on the topic, and is reviewed below.

In an effort to further clarify the relationship between vitamin D and lipid levels, Li et al. analyzed data from a real-world setting, using laboratory measurements obtained from an annual employee health program. Their goal was to see if there was a consistent, significant relationship between year-to-year increases or decreases in vitamin D levels and changes in serum lipid levels. They split the data into cohorts according to year:

Each cohort was split into two different groups – those whose vitamin D level increased by 10 ng/ml (25 nmol/L) or more from one year to the next, and those whose vitamin D level decreased by 10 ng/ml or more. Changes in total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides (TG) were also evaluated for each of the two groups within each cohort.

For each year to year comparison, the authors found a significant decrease in TC, LDL-C, and TG levels among those whose vitamin D level had increased by 10 ng/ml or more. They also found a significant increase in TC, LDL-C, and TG levels among those whose vitamin D level had decreased by 10 ng/ml or more.

As can be seen in the chart above, where orange bars indicate decreasing vitamin D levels and green bars indicate increasing vitamin D levels, TC, LDL-C, and TG levels increased (worsened) when the vitamin D level went down by at least 10 ng/ml (25 nmol/L) over the year, and decreased (improved) when vitamin D level went up by at least 10 ng/ml over the year. For those whose vitamin D levels increased by 10 ng/ml (25 nmol/L) or more, compared to those whose levels decreased, there was an approximate reduction in

These changes remained significant even after adjusting for age, sex, race, education, BMI, blood pressure, smoking status, geographical location, vitamin D level at baseline, and lipid level at baseline. While changes in HDL-C were observed, these changes were slight and not statistically significant for all groups.

In summary, this study showed that

These findings support previous research showing that reductions in vitamin D levels are associated with worsening lipid profiles, and with this, the authors suggest that vitamin D supplementation may be of benefit for individuals with dyslipidemia.

Having and maintaining healthy vitamin D levels, as well as omega-3s and other nutrients, can help improve your health now and for your future. Choose which to measure, including essential minerals such as selenium, magnesium, and zinc, and more, by creating your custom home test kit today.  Take steps to improve the status of each of these measurements to benefit your overall health. You can also track your own intakes, symptoms and results to see what works best for YOU.

Enroll and test your levels today, learn what steps to take to improve your status of vitamin D (see below) and other nutrients and blood markers (such as TSH), and take action! By enrolling in the GrassrootsHealth projects, you are not only contributing valuable information to everyone, you are also gaining knowledge about how you could improve your own health through measuring and tracking your nutrient status, and educating yourself on how to improve it.

Be sure to educate yourself on the benefits and importance of vitamin D for immune health, and take steps to ensure you and your loved ones are getting enough.

You can review all of the COVID-19 and immune health information shared by GrassrootsHealth on this page.

Don't get stuck with low vitamin D levels - learn more about what might affect your level and response to supplementation, and the steps to take through each season to keep levels in your target range.

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Onwards,