Vitamin D supplementation for the prevention of depression and poor physical function in older persons: the D-Vitaal study, a randomized clinical trial

Study answer

What this study found

Vitamin D3 supplementation did not improve depressive symptoms, physical performance, or most secondary outcomes over 12 months versus placebo. The primary outcomes showed no significant between-group differences, with interaction terms P > 0.10. Serum 25(OH)D rose substantially in the vitamin D3 arm at 6 months (85 ± 16 nmol/L vs 43 ± 18 nmol/L in placebo; P < 0.001), confirming biological exposure, but this did not translate into clear clinical benefit. A higher baseline 25(OH)D subgroup showed fewer functional limitations with vitamin D3 (OR = 0.21; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.88; P = 0.032), but…

Study & population

Randomized clinical trial in community-dwelling older adults at risk of depression and poor physical functioning in Amsterdam and surrounding areas, the Netherlands, conducted from 2013 to 2016.

Intervention

Participants in the active arm received vitamin D3 1200 IU/day for 12 months, given as 3 oral tablets of 400 IU cholecalciferol (Devaron), compared with identical placebo tablets.

Key limitation

The active arm was modest in size, limiting power for clinical outcomes and subgroup analyses.

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Original abstract