Vitamin D May Protect from Cardiovascular Events

Bostonz, MA, April 16, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Although many vitamins and supplements have been rigorously tested in large scale clinical trials for their role in the prevention of diseases, little is known about the effect of vitamin D supplementation on the risk of cardiovascular disease. In new analysis of vitamin D and calcium research published in the last 43 years, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital have found an association between vitamin D supplement use and a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD). These findings are published in the March 2 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.

"In this analysis of the limited available research, we have found that vitamin D supplements in moderate-to-high doses may reduce the risk of CVD and that calcium supplementation seems to have a minimal effect on the prevention of CVD," said Lu Wang, MD, PhD, lead author of the paper and an instructor of medicine in the Division of Preventive Medicine at BWH.

Researchers selected 17 studies, both prospective cohorts and clinical trials, which evaluated the role of vitamin D and calcium supplementation and subsequent major cardiovascular events. Wang and colleagues extracted data and results of these studies and analyzed the findings using quality assessment for study design and bias in reporting. They found the use of vitamin D supplements was associated with a reduced risk for CVD mortality, in prospective cohorts - groups of similar individuals followed over time - predominantly in patients undergoing dialysis. However, analysis from several randomized controlled trials did not show an apparent effect of vitamin D on the risk of CVD events except in two smaller studies that used higher doses of vitamin D. Researchers also found that that combined evidence from all studies showed very little effect of calcium supplementation on CVD risk.

"Future studies of vitamin D and calcium use, particularly large-scale, randomized clinical trials designed to evaluate the role of these supplements in the primary prevention of CVD, are urgently needed," said Howard Sesso, ScD, senior author and a researcher in the Division of Preventive Medicine at BWH.

This research was supported by the American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Dr. JoAnn Manson, a coauthor of the report and the Principal Investigator of the nation-wide VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL), will be testing the role of 2000 IU/day of vitamin D in the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease in 20,000 U.S. men and women. More information about the trial, which has just begun recruitment, is available at www.vitalstudy.org.

Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) is a 777-bed nonprofit teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a founding member of Partners HealthCare, an integrated health care delivery network. In July of 2008, the hospital opened the Carl J. and Ruth Shapiro Cardiovascular Center, the most advanced center of its kind. BWH is committed to excellence in patient care with expertise in virtually every specialty of medicine and surgery. The BWH medical preeminence dates back to 1832, and today that rich history in clinical care is coupled with its national leadership in quality improvement and patient safety initiatives and its dedication to educating and training the next generation of health care professionals. Through investigation and discovery conducted at its Biomedical Research Institute (BRI), BWH is an international leader in basic, clinical and translational research on human diseases, involving more than 860 physician-investigators and renowned biomedical scientists and faculty supported by more than $416 M in funding. BWH is also home to major landmark epidemiologic population studies, including the Nurses' and Physicians' Health Studies and the Women's Health Initiative. For more information about BWH, please visit http://www.brighamandwomens.org/.

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