In subgroup analyses , all cause mortality was significantly lower in trials with vitamin D3 supplementation than in trials with vitamin D2 supplementation ( P for interaction=0.04 ) ; neither vitamin D3 nor vitamin D2 was associated with a statistically significant reduction in all cause mortality .
CONCLUSIONS Vitamin D supplementation alone was not associated with  all cause mortality in adults compared with placebo or no treatment .
Vitamin D supplementation reduced the risk of cancer death by 16 % .
Additional large clinical studies are needed to determine whether vitamin D3 supplementation is associated with lower all cause mortality .
OBJECTIVE To investigate whether vitamin D supplementation is associated with lower mortality in adults .
Effects of ergocalciferol added to calcium on the risk of falls in elderly high-risk women.
BACKGROUND Ergocalciferol ( vitamin D(2 ) ) supplementation plays a role in fall prevention , but the effect in patients living in the community in sunny climates remains uncertain . We evaluated the effect of ergocalciferol and calcium citrate supplementation compared with calcium alone on the risk of falls in older women at high risk of falling . METHODS A 1-year population -based , double-blind , r and omized controlled trial of 302 community-dwelling ambulant older women aged 70 to 90 years living in Perth , Australia ( latitude , 32 degrees S ) , with a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration of less than 24.0 ng/mL and a history of falling in the previous year . Participants were r and omized to receive ergocalciferol , 1000 IU/d , or identical placebo ( hereinafter , ergocalciferol and control groups , respectively ) . Both groups received calcium citrate , 1000 mg/d . Fall data were collected every 6 weeks . RESULTS Ergocalciferol therapy reduced the risk of having at least 1 fall over 1 year after adjustment for baseline height , which was significantly different between the 2 groups ( ergocalciferol group , 53.0 % ; control group , 62.9 % ; odds ratio [ OR ] , 0.61 ; 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] , 0.37 - 0.99 ) . When those who fell were grouped by the season of first fall or the number of falls they had , ergocalciferol treatment reduced the risk of having the first fall in winter and spring ( ergocalciferol group , 25.2 % ; control group , 35.8 % ; OR , 0.55 ; 95 % CI , 0.32 - 0.96 ) but not in summer and autumn , and reduced the risk of having 1 fall ( ergocalciferol group , 21.2 % ; control group , 33.8 % ; OR , 0.50 ; 95 % CI , 0.28 - 0.88 ) but not multiple falls . CONCLUSION Patients with a history of falling and vitamin D insufficiency living in sunny climates benefit from ergocalciferol supplementation in addition to calcium , which is associated with a 19 % reduction in the relative risk of falling , mostly in winter
In subgroup analyses , all cause mortality was significantly lower in trials with vitamin D3 supplementation than in trials with vitamin D2 supplementation ( P for interaction=0.04 ) ; neither vitamin D3 nor vitamin D2 was associated with a statistically significant reduction in all cause mortality .
CONCLUSIONS Vitamin D supplementation alone was not associated with  all cause mortality in adults compared with placebo or no treatment .
Vitamin D supplementation reduced the risk of cancer death by 16 % .
Additional large clinical studies are needed to determine whether vitamin D3 supplementation is associated with lower all cause mortality .
OBJECTIVE To investigate whether vitamin D supplementation is associated with lower mortality in adults .