New research indicates that vitamin D supplementation might reduce the incidence of major cardiovascular events, particularly myocardial infarction and coronary revascularization, among people aged over 60. This protective effect could be more marked in those taking statins or other cardiovascular drugs at baseline. The findings could prompt further evaluation of the role of vitamin D supplementation, particularly in people taking drugs for prevention or treatment of cardiovascular disease.
Coronary heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death globally. The risk of these events increases with age, and they are more prevalent in men than women.
The number of cardiovascular disease events will probably continue to increase in developed countries as populations age, and in low to middle income countries as non-communicable diseases become dominant.
Observational studies have consistently shown a link between vitamin D levels and cardiovascular disease risk, but randomized controlled trials have found no evidence that vitamin D supplements prevent cardiovascular events, possibly due to differences in trial design that can affect results.
To address this uncertainty, Professor Rachel Neale from the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and colleagues set out to investigate whether supplementing older adults with monthly doses of vitamin D alters the rate of major cardiovascular events.
Their D-Health Trial was carried out from 2014 to 2020 and involved 21,315 Australians aged 60-84 who randomly received one capsule of either 60,000 IU vitamin D (10,662 participants) or placebo (10,653 participants) taken orally at the beginning of each month for up to 5 years.
The participants with a history of high calcium levels (hypercalcemia), overactive thyroid (hyperparathyroidism), kidney stones, soft bones (osteomalacia), sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease, or those already taking more than 500 IU/day vitamin D were excluded.
Data on hospital admissions…
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