Does Inconclusive Evidence for Vitamin D Supplementation to Reduce Risk for Cardiovascular Disease Warrant Pessimism?
Authors: Eliseo Guallar
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2010)

Letters3 August 2010Does Inconclusive Evidence for Vitamin D Supplementation to Reduce Risk for Cardiovascular Disease Warrant Pessimism?Eliseo Guallar, MD, DrPH, Edgar R. Miller III, MD, PhD, Jose M. Ordovas, PhD, and Saverio Stranges, MD, PhDEliseo Guallar, MD, DrPHFrom Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205; Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111; and University of Warwick Medical School, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom.Search for more papers by this author, Edgar R. Miller III, MD, PhDFrom Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205; Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111; and University of Warwick Medical School, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom.Search for more papers by this author, Jose M. Ordovas, PhDFrom Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205; Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111; and University of Warwick Medical School, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom.Search for more papers by this author, and Saverio Stranges, MD, PhDFrom Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205; Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111; and University of Warwick Medical School, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-153-3-201008030-00018 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We appreciate the opinions and comments on our editorial. All 3 letters question whether the inconclusive evidence for vitamin D supplementation to reduce risk for CVD, which was reported in the 2 accompanying meta-analyses (1, 2), justifies our cautionary note against supplementation.We agree with Dr. Plotnikoff that clinical trials of nutritional agents need to assess baseline (preintervention) levels of study nutrients to interpret trial results, evaluate their generalizability, and design targeted nutritional interventions. However, for interventions aimed at wide segments of the population that may be administered without screening of nutrient levels (for instance, through food fortification), ...References1. Pittas AG, Chung M, Trikalinos T, Mitri J, Brendel M, Patel K, et al. Systematic review: vitamin D and cardiometabolic outcomes. Ann Intern Med. 2010;152:307-14. [PMID: 20194237] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Wang L, Manson JE, Song Y, Sesso HD. Systematic review: vitamin D and calcium supplementation in prevention of cardiovascular events. Ann Intern Med. 2010;152:315-23. [PMID: 20194238] LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Eliseo Guallar, MD, DrPH; Edgar R. MillerIII, MD, PhD; Jose M. Ordovas, PhD; Saverio Stranges, MD, PhDAffiliations: From Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205; Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111; and University of Warwick Medical School, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoVitamin D Supplementation in the Age of Lost Innocence Eliseo Guallar , Edgar R. Miller III , Jose M. Ordovas , and Saverio Stranges Systematic Review: Vitamin D and Cardiometabolic Outcomes Anastassios G. Pittas , Mei Chung , Thomas Trikalinos , Joanna Mitri , Michael Brendel , Kamal Patel , Alice H. Lichtenstein , Joseph Lau , and Ethan M. Balk Systematic Review: Vitamin D and Calcium Supplementation in Prevention of Cardiovascular Events Lu Wang , JoAnn E. Manson , Yiqing Song , and Howard D. Sesso Metrics 3 August 2010Volume 153, Issue 3 Page: 209-210 Keywords Cardiovascular diseases Clinical trials Nutrients Nutrition Observational studies Prevention, policy, and public health Risk management Safety Vitamin D ePublished: 3 August 2010 Issue Published: 3 August 2010 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2010 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...