Vitamin D supplementation to decrease mortality

2015-02-03 11:41:40

A highly powered study called a Cochrane review was recently published that examined the evidence on vitamin D supplementation and its link to mortality in adults (1). The authors searched a number of databases and selected articles, specifically randomized trials that compared vitamin D with placebo. Six authors independently extracted data and performed analyses. They found that 56 trials provided usable data and included 95,000 participants. They found that 150 people needed to be treated over five years to prevent one additional death. Vitamin D3 also statistically decreased cancer mortality by 12%. The authors conclude that vitamin D decreased mortality in elderly people living independently or in institutional care, but that it was difficult to make many other beneficial conclusions at this point.