Vitamin D Analysis Shows Reduced Overall Mortality

Authors of a recent journal article in the Archives of Internal Medicine found a significant reduction in all-cause mortality in people who supplemented with vitamin D. The meta-analysis studied 18 randomized, controlled studies involving over 57,000 individuals over a mean of 5.7 years. With an average daily supplemental dose of 528 IU, people who took vitamin D for at least three years had an eight-percent reduction in mortality. The mechanism(s) by which vitamin D is protective are not known; however, lower vitamin D levels have been demonstrated to be correlated with increased risk of death from heart disease, cancers, and diabetes. It may be that vitamin D's anti-proliferative and immune-regulating effects will be found to be the predominant mechanisms. "Given the high probability of benefit for at least some of the many conditions that have been associated with vitamin D deficiency, and the low likelihood of harm, it seems prudent that physicians measure 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in their patients," said Dr. Edward Giovanucci, of the Harvard School of Public Health, in an accompanying editorial.

Autier P, Gandini S. Vitamin D supplementation and total mortality: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Arch Intern Med 2007;167:1730-1737