Excessive vitamin D correlated with higher blood levels of the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein

The inverse association between serum vitamin D level and the serum level of the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP) is apparent only at low levels of vitamin D. At levels of serum vitamin D above the median, serum CRP actually increases, a recent study found.

CRP, which measures general levels of inflammation in the body, can be a marker of chronic disease, especially cardiovascular disease, or infections.

In this retrospective analysis of more than 15,000 U.S. adults, the median serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration was 21 ng/mL, found researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, United States.

Previous studies have demonstrated cardiovascular protection and a reduction in mortality with...