Vitamin D supplements may reduce the risk of serious cardiovascular disease, such as heart attacks, in people over 60, according to a clinical study published today by the BMJ.
The researchers emphasize that the difference in absolute risk was small, but this is the largest study of its kind to date, and further evaluation is needed, especially in people taking statins or other anti-inflammatory drugs. CVD.
The study was conducted from 2014 to 2020 and involved 21,315 Australians aged 60 to 84 who were randomly given one capsule or 60,000 IU of vitamin D (10 662 participants) or placebo (10,653 participants). The median duration of treatment was 5 years, and over 80% of participants reported taking at least 80% of the tablets.
The incidence of major cardiovascular events was 9% lower in the vitamin D group compared to the placebo group. Heart attack rates were 19% lower and coronary revascularization rates were 11% lower in the vitamin D group, but there was no difference in stroke rates between the two groups.
Study results show that vitamin D supplementation D may reduce the risk of serious cardiovascular disease. «This protective effect may be more pronounced in those who were taking statins or other cardiovascular drugs at the start of the study,» the researchers add, and suggest that further studies are needed to help clarify this issue.