Lee Swanson Research Update

Vitamin D Supplementation Lowers Mortality Risk

October 2007

“Intake of ordinary doses of vitamin D supplements seems to be associated with decreases in total mortality rates,” researchers reported in a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

“Ecological and observational studies suggest that low vitamin D status could be associated with higher mortality from life-threatening conditions including cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus that account for 60% to 70% of total mortality in high-income countries," authors of the study noted. “We examined the risk of dying from any cause in subjects who participated in randomized trials testing the impact of vitamin D supplementation on any health condition.”

The study, conducted by Philippe Autier, M.D., from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France and Sara Gadini, Ph.D., of the European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy, included 18 randomized controlled trials of vitamin D supplementation. The trials included 57,311 participants and evaluated doses of vitamin D ranging from 300 to 2,000 IU, with an average dose of 528 IU per day.

Over an average follow-up period of 5.7 years, 4,777 of the participants died. Those taking vitamin D had a seven percent lower risk of death than those who did not, and their blood levels of vitamin D were 1.4 to 5.2-fold higher than those people not taking supplements. The authors said it was unclear how supplementation could decrease all-cause mortality, though they suggested it may inhibit carcinogenesis or boost immune function.

A related Archives editorial by Edward Giovannucci, M.D., Harvard School of Public Health, said the meta-analysis increases the evidence base concerning vitamin D’s benefits to human health. “Research on vitamin D should be continued to clearly elucidate the specific benefits and optimal intakes and levels of vitamin D,” Giovannucci wrote. “Nonetheless, based on the total body of evidence of health conditions associated with vitamin D deficiency, abetted with the results from this meta-analysis, a more proactive attitude to identify, prevent and treat vitamin D deficiency should be part of standard medical care.”

Archives of Internal Medicine 167(16):1730-1737, 2007

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