LAHORE: By probing the effect that vitamin D-3 has on the cells that make up the lining of blood vessels, scientists at Ohio State University in Columbus have identified for the first time the role that the “sunshine vitamin” plays in preserving cardiovascular health. The ‘sunshine vitamin’ has been shown to preserve heart health. In a paper published in the International Journal of Nanomedicine, they describe how they used nanosensors and a cell model to identify the molecular mechanisms that vitamin can D-3 trigger in the endothelium, which is the thin layer of tissue that lines blood vessels. It was previously believed that the endothelium served no other purpose than to act as an inert “wrapper” of the vascular system, allowing both water and electrolytes to pass in and out of the bloodstream. However, advances over the past 30 years have revealed that the endothelium acts more like an organ that lines the whole of the circulatory system from the “heart to the smallest capillaries,” and whose cells carry out many unique biological functions. Changes to the endothelium have been linked to several serious health problems, including high blood pressure, insulin resistance, diabetes, tumor growth, virus infections, and atherosclerosis, which is a condition wherein fatty deposits can build up inside arteries and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Some other natural sources of vitamin D-3 include egg yolks and oily fish. It is also obtainable in the form of supplements. Vitamin D-3 is already well-known for its role in bone health. “However,” explains senior author Tadeusz Malinski, a professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry, “in recent years, in clinical settings people recogniSe that many patients who have a heart attack will have a deficiency of D-3.” “It doesn’t mean that the deficiency caused the heart attack,” he adds, “but it increased the risk of heart attack.” Published in Daily Times, February 5th 2018.