Research paper
Vitamin D supplementation does not improve CVD risk factors in vitamin D-insufficient subjects
Study answer
What this study found
Vitamin D supplementation did not improve cardiovascular risk factors in vitamin D-insufficient adults. Serum 25(OH)D rose by 56 nmol/L in the vitamin D group and fell by 4 nmol/L in the placebo group, but there were no statistically significant between-group differences in blood pressure, lipids, or glucose metabolism measures. A minor increase in sRAGE was observed, including a significant delta value in the specified subgroup (P < 0.05), but subgroup analyses did not show overall benefit. No serious study-related side effects were reported, although two participants developed hypercalcemia.
- Study & population
- Double-blind randomized controlled trial in adults with vitamin D insufficiency recruited from the Tromsø region in Northern Norway.
- Intervention
- Participants in the active arm received oral cholecalciferol capsules: a 100,000 IU loading dose (five 20,000 IU capsules), followed by 20,000 IU per week for 4 months.
- Key limitation
- The intervention lasted only 4 months, which may be too short to detect changes in cardiovascular outcomes.
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Open PDFOriginal abstract
Objective Low serum 25(OH)D levels are associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and some of its risk factors. However, in interventional studies, the effects of vitamin D supplementation have been uncertain, possibly due to inclusion of vitamin D…