Low vitamin D levels have now been linked to obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, congestive heart failure, and stroke.

You’ll also be more likely to have a stiffening and thickening of your blood vessels and heart. Your hormone levels and immune system may be off, too, causing a greater likelihood of diabetes.

In a recent article in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the authors recommend that vitamin D deficiency as a heart health risk factor should be screened for and treated.

A simple blood test will tell your doctor what he or she needs to know. And if you’re at risk, you can take vitamin D supplements easily and at low cost.

In the United States, almost half of adults and 30% of kids have a deficiency of vitamin D.

If your vitamin D level is less than 15ng/ml, your risk of a stroke or heart attack doubles within the next 5 years as compared to someone with a normal vitamin D level.

The main risk factors for having a low level of vitamin D are liver or kidney disease, certain drugs, darker skin, older age, obesity, smoking, winter, or living farther from the equator.

You can get vitamin D naturally from sun exposure (if you aren’t wearing sunscreen) or by taking supplements or eating foods rich in or enriched with vitamin D.

Some of the best food sources are sardines, salmon, mackerel, tuna fish, pure cod liver oil, vitamin D-enriched milk or cereal, and egg yolks.

Of course, you should never make significant changes to your diet or take vitamin D supplements without checking with your doctor to see if you have a vitamin D deficiency that could cause heart problems.