This Study Proves Vitamin D Lowers Signs Of Inflammation After Menopause

We’re conditioned to associate vitamin D with bone health. While this vitamin is absolutely essential (along with calcium) to maintain bone density, its benefits don’t stop there. Vitamin D also plays an outsized role in managing inflammation. 

Inflammation tends to creep up with age1 and is a known risk factor for almost every chronic condition out there. The fact that 29% of U.S. adults2 have deficient levels of this vitamin (and another 41% have insufficient levels2) should be concerning—especially for postmenopausal women who are at a higher risk for heart disease.

CRP is a general marker of inflammation. While it doesn’t tell you what is inflamed in the body, healthy levels of CRP are associated with a balanced inflammatory response, whereas elevated levels are linked to poor cardiovascular outcomes4 (like coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke). 

While a variety of factors can lead to elevated CRP levels, belly fat5 is a contributing factor. As many women experience at least a 5 to 10-pound weight gain during the menopause transition—that tends to settle in the abdomen thanks to shifting hormones—this could be the first time many women start to experience low-grade inflammation6. 

And sure enough, the pooled analysis of data from 758 postmenopausal women showed that vitamin D supplementation significantly reduced CRP levels. 

On average, CRP levels decreased by .65 mg/L for those who received a vitamin D supplement compared to those who didn’t. This may seem like a small number but considering that any value from .3 to 10 mg/L7 is considered minor to moderate elevation and any value of 10 mg/L is marked elevation, that decrease is quite impressive.  

As we mentioned earlier, this study also looked at the impact of vitamin D on both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, but no significant changes were observed. 

Past research on this topic has shown that low vitamin D levels are linked to high blood pressure8 (as vitamin D helps with calcium regulation and blood vessel health and dilation). And a broader meta-analysis from 2016 also found that supplementing with vitamin D did significantly reduce blood pressure in adults 50 years or older9. But studies on this in postmenopausal women seem to be less conclusive. 

All the studies analyzed in this meta-analysis included a range of different vitamin D supplements—some women were given small daily doses of 400 IU per day and others were given 40,000 IU a week. 

Overall it found the sweet spot to be at least 1,000 IU per day of vitamin D3, but the ideal dose for not only achieving adequate vitamin D levels (30 ng/mL) but an optimal level of 50 ng/mL is around 5,000 IU a day. We rounded up our expert-vetted top picks for vitamin D supplements here. 

After you reach menopause, you may start to experience health concerns that you once had—like weight gain and higher levels of inflammation.