Vitamin D Linked with Reduced Risk of Death

Vitamin D Linked with Reduced Risk of Death

According to a combined analysis of 18 clinical trials, intake of ordinary doses of vitamin D supplements was linked with 7% reduction in overall risk of death. These results were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that comes from dietary supplements, foods such as fortified milk and cereal, certain kinds of fish (including salmon, mackerel, and tuna), and exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D is hypothesized to play a role in the prevention of some types of cancer.

To explore the relationship between use of vitamin D supplements and risk of death from any cause, researchers combined information from 18 vitamin D clinical trials. These trials included a total of 57,311 study participants.

The dose of vitamin D given in the trials ranged from 300 to 2,000 IU per day, with an average dose of 528 IU per day.

Patients were followed for an average of 5.7 years. During this time, 4,777 deaths occurred among study participants.

Overall risk of death was 7% lower in individuals who were assigned to receive vitamin D supplements than in individuals in the comparison group. The link between vitamin D and specific causes of death was not assessed.

The researchers conclude that vitamin D supplements appear to reduce overall risk of death. Additional research is needed to explore the relationships among an individual’s baseline vitamin D status, dose of the vitamin D supplement, and risk of death.

Reference: Autier P, Gandini S. Vitamin D supplementation and total mortality: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2007;167:1730-1737.