Recent meta-analyses reinforce the finding that 10 - 20 μg per day of vitamin D can reduce all-cause mortality and cancer mortality in middle-aged and older people .
Although vitamin D doses were greater than those assessed in the past , we found no new evidence that supplementation could have an effect on most non-skeletal conditions , including cardiovascular disease , adiposity , glucose metabolism , mood disorders , muscular function , tuberculosis , and colorectal adenomas , or on maternal and perinatal conditions .
The compilation of results from 83 trials showed that vitamin D supplementation had no significant effect on biomarkers of systemic inflammation .
The main new finding highlighted by this systematic review is that vitamin D supplementation might help to prevent common upper respiratory tract infections and asthma exacerbations .
There remains little evidence to suggest that vitamin D supplementation has an effect on most conditions , including chronic inflammation , despite use of increased doses of vitamin D , strengthening the hypothesis that low vitamin D status is a consequence of ill health , rather than its cause .
We further hypothesise that vitamin D supplementation could exert immunomodulatory effects that strengthen resistance to acute infections , which would reduce the risk of death in debilitated individuals .
Risk of Heart Failure Among Postmenopausal Women: A Secondary Analysis of the Randomized Trial of Vitamin D Plus Calcium of the Women’s Health Initiative
Background —Vitamin D supplementation may be an inexpensive intervention to reduce heart failure ( HF ) incidence . However , there are insufficient data to support this hypothesis . This study evaluates whether vitamin D plus calcium ( CaD ) supplementation is associated with lower rates of HF in postmenopausal women and whether the effects differ between those at high versus low risk for HF . Methods and Results —Analyses were restricted to 35 983 ( of original 36 282 ) women aged 50 to 79 years old in the Women ’s Health Initiative r and omized trial of CaD supplementation who were r and omized 1:1 in a double-blinded fashion to receive 1000 mg/d of calcium plus 400 IU/d of vitamin D3 or placebo . Overall , 744 adjudicated incident HF cases ( intervention , 363 ; control , 381 ) occurred during a median follow-up of 7.1 ( interquartile range , 1.6 ) years . CaD supplementation , compared with placebo , was not associated with reduced HF risk in the overall population , hazard ratio , 0.95 ; P=0.46 . However , CaD supplementation had differential effects ( P interaction=0.005 ) in subgroups stratified by baseline risk status of HF defined by the presence ( high risk=17 449 ) or absence ( low risk=18 534 ) of pre-existing HF precursors including coronary heart diseases , diabetes mellitus , or hypertension : 37 % ( hazard ratio , 0.63 [ 95 % confidence interval , 0.46–0.87 ] ) lower risk of HF in the low-risk versus hazard ratio , 1.06 ; P=0.51 , in the high-risk subgroups . Conclusions —CaD supplementation did not significantly reduce HF incidence in the overall cohort , however , it was beneficial among postmenopausal women without major HF precursors while of little value in high-risk subgroups . Additional studies are warranted to confirm these findings and investigate the underlying mechanism . Clinical Trial Registration —URL : http://www . clinical trials.gov . Unique identifier : NCT00000611
Recent meta-analyses reinforce the finding that 10 - 20 μg per day of vitamin D can reduce all-cause mortality and cancer mortality in middle-aged and older people .
Although vitamin D doses were greater than those assessed in the past , we found no new evidence that supplementation could have an effect on most non-skeletal conditions , including cardiovascular disease , adiposity , glucose metabolism , mood disorders , muscular function , tuberculosis , and colorectal adenomas , or on maternal and perinatal conditions .
The compilation of results from 83 trials showed that vitamin D supplementation had no significant effect on biomarkers of systemic inflammation .
The main new finding highlighted by this systematic review is that vitamin D supplementation might help to prevent common upper respiratory tract infections and asthma exacerbations .
There remains little evidence to suggest that vitamin D supplementation has an effect on most conditions , including chronic inflammation , despite use of increased doses of vitamin D , strengthening the hypothesis that low vitamin D status is a consequence of ill health , rather than its cause .
We further hypothesise that vitamin D supplementation could exert immunomodulatory effects that strengthen resistance to acute infections , which would reduce the risk of death in debilitated individuals .