Vitamin D supplements may reduce risk of serious cardiovascular events in older people

Medical Xpress / British Medical Journal ^ | June 28, 2023 | Bridie Thompson et al

[ConservativeMind]

Vitamin D supplements may reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks among people aged over 60, finds a clinical trial.

The researchers stress that the absolute risk difference was small, but say this is the largest trial of its kind to date, and further evaluation is warranted, particularly in people taking statins or other cardiovascular disease drugs.

Observational studies have consistently shown a link between vitamin D levels and CVD risk.

Researchers set out to investigate whether supplementing older adults with monthly doses of vitamin D alters the rate of major cardiovascular events.

Their D-Health Trial was carried out from 2014 to 2020 and involved 21,315 Australians aged 60-84 who randomly received one capsule of either 60,000 IU vitamin D (10,662 participants) or placebo (10,653 participants) taken orally at the beginning of each month for up to five years.

The average treatment duration was five years and more than 80% of participants reported taking at least 80% of the study tablets.

During the trial, 1,336 participants experienced a major cardiovascular event (6.6% in the placebo group and 6% in the vitamin D group).

The rate of major cardiovascular events was 9% lower in the vitamin D compared with the placebo group (equivalent to 5.8 fewer events per 1,000 participants).

The rate of heart attack was 19% lower and the rate of coronary revascularization was 11% lower in the vitamin D group, but there was no difference in the rate of stroke between the two groups.

There was some indication of a stronger effect in those who were using statins or other cardiovascular drugs at the start of the trial, but results were not statistically significant.

Overall, the researchers calculate that 172 people would need to take monthly vitamin D supplements to prevent one major cardiovascular event.

[ConservativeMind]

Vitamin D for the win, again.

The amount used was 2,000 IUs a day, total.

[ConservativeMind]

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[ProtectOurFreedom]

Interesting. Why do you suppose they opted for monthly supplements of 60,000 IU rather than daily or weekly supplementation?

[ConservativeMind]

Easier to prove?

It averages out okay, but a single large dose can be handled in a way by the body that negates some of the benefit.

[ConservativeMind]

Sorry, #4 was for you.

[nickcarraway]

My doctor wants me to get from being in the sun a certain amount of time, or failing that, from those Vitamin D lamps.

[PGR88]

Is there anything Vitamin D can’t do?!

[Georgia Girl 2]

We take 4,000 IUs everyday and K2 with it. Plus a lot of other supplements. It keeps you healthy.

[Does so]

Vitamin D lamps can’t be sold in Canada.

(Of all places!)

[Veto!]

I take 1000 mg Carlsons Norwegian liquid D daily and have every morning for at least 20 years. I believe equality counts, plus I’m a very small person, don’t think I need as much as a very large person. Considering all that, I’m probably a D overachiever. But could up dosage if I believed I should.

In the last 20 years, I had one five-day cold, took chlor-trimeton, cheap OTC tablets my Rite Aid carries.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I did some research and it appears the main reason is people are much more likely to forget to take a daily dose than a monthly dose.

Monthly vitamin D dosing is better than daily dosing for children and elderly (more likely to be taken) – June 2017 Vitamin D every 25 days may be BETTER than daily – RCT May 2018
A Randomized Study to Compare a Monthly to a Daily Administration of Vitamin D3 Supplementation
Nutrients 2018,10, 659; doi:10.3390/nu10060659, 23 May 2018

The half-life of Vit D in the body seems to be around three weeks, so the monthly dosing is going to cause big fluctuations in Vit D serum levels throughout the month.

Half-life of vitamin D varies

This "VitaD.org" site feels a bit odd and I cannot find any information about who is putting it out. I saw some mention of Pakistan when looking at the various articles. But they sure are collecting lots of data from many studies and are organizing it fairly well.

I started daily Vit D early in the COVID pandemic. I use a "Pharmadose" pill organizer which I load with 28 days of Vit D, BP meds, and statin so I don't miss a day (I do not take different meds at Morning, Noon, Evening and Bedtime, so I can get 28 days of meds in the box).

[nickcarraway]

Why is that? They want people to get ricketts?

[skr]

Possibly because of UV light. On Amazon.ca, only UV-free photo-therapy lamps are sold.

[House Atreides]

“ Interesting. Why do you suppose they opted for monthly supplements of 60,000 IU rather than daily or weekly supplementation?”
*************************************************************

I don’t know but I suspect that 60,000 IU taken at once one time each month will not have nearly as much Vitamin D usefully absorbed by the body as 2,000 IU taken each day.

[GranTorino]

Saved me from getting the wo-ho flu.

[matthew fuller]

"I take 1000 mg Carlsons Norwegian liquid D daily"

That sounds like a very hefty dose, The capsules I take are 50 mcg (micrograms) which is 2000 IU.

[Veto!]

Yep, I have a 7 day pill keeper, fill it every 8 days.

[Does so]

Guessing skin cancer. (Like tanning beds).