Research paper
The Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Physical Function and Quality of Life in Older Patients With Heart Failure: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Study answer
What this study found
Vitamin D2 supplementation did not improve physical function, daily activity, or quality of life in older patients with heart failure and vitamin D insufficiency. The 6-minute walk distance showed no between-group benefit at 10 weeks (difference -2.4, 95% CI -17.1 to 12.4; P=0.75) or 20 weeks (difference -5.6, 95% CI -22.2 to 11.0; P=0.51), and Timed Up and Go and Functional Limitations Profile results were also null. The main clinical signal was a modest improvement in Minnesota Living With Heart Failure score at 20 weeks (between-group difference 5.3, 95% CI 0.5 to 10.2; P=0.03), but this…
- Study & population
- Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in older adults with chronic systolic heart failure and vitamin D insufficiency recruited from primary and secondary care in Scotland.
- Intervention
- Oral ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) 100,000 U was given at baseline and repeated at 10 weeks, with dosing supervised in the participant's home.
- Key limitation
- Small single-trial sample and short follow-up limited power to detect modest clinical effects.
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Open PDFOriginal abstract
Background—Low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, commonly found in older patients with heart failure, may contribute to the chronic inflammation and skeletal myopathy that lead to poor exercise tolerance. We tested whether vitamin D supplementation of pati…