A daily dose of vitamin D can improve the blood-pumping performance of damaged hearts, a study has found.

Researchers studied 160 patients being treated for heart failure using a variety of proven drug treatments and pacemakers.

Participants who took a vitamin D3 supplement daily for one year experienced an improvement in heart function not seen in those given a dummy pill.

Lead scientist Klaus Witte, from the School of Medicine at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “This is a significant breakthrough for patients. It is the first evidence that vitamin D3 can improve heart function of people with heart muscle weakness, known as heart failure. These findings could make a significant difference to the care of heart failure patients.”

The researchers measured “ejection fraction”, which shows how much blood is pumped from the heart with each heartbeat. A healthy person’s ejection fraction is usually between 60 and 70 per cent.

Among the heart failure patients taking part in the study it averaged 26 per cent, but increased to 34 per cent for those taking vitamin D.

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