Don't take vitamin D to live longer if you aren't deficient in it
- High value
- Evidence A
- Saves money
- Disputed
- Free
- Takes minutes
- No willpower
In plain words
People who were not deficient in vitamin D to begin with took it for 5 years, and as many got cancer, got cardiovascular disease or died as among those who did not take it. People found to be truly deficient, people with osteoporosis, and people who get no sun for long periods are not covered by this item; they should take it as their doctor says.
- Cost
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About 0.2 to 0.5 CNY a day, 100 to 200 CNY a year. The money is not large; the real cost is thinking you have already done something to prevent disease.
- What you get
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The VITAL trial enrolled 25,871 people who took 2000 IU a day and followed them for 5.3 years (median). No difference was seen in cancer, heart and blood vessel problems, or death. For cancers that spread, HR 0.96 (HR is the hazard ratio; 1 means the two sides are the same; 95% CI 0.88–1.06 is the plausible range). Major cardiovascular events HR 0.97 (0.85–1.12). All-cause death HR 0.99 (0.87–1.12). The D-Health trial enrolled 21,315 Australians over 60. They took 60,000 IU a month and were followed for 5 years. This one also showed no difference, with all-cause death HR 1.04 (0.93–1.18). The share who died was 5.3% versus 5.1%. It looks like a good deal because some studies only tracked people without intervening, found that people with low vitamin D levels died more often, and that was misread as “taking it will work”
- Notes
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Dispute: neither trial specifically recruited people who were truly deficient in vitamin D, so the conclusion covers only people who were “not deficient to begin with.” People found to be truly deficient, people with osteoporosis, people who get no sun for long periods, and infants and young children should still take it as their doctor says. Only total death, cancer, and heart and blood vessel outcomes were looked at here; nothing else was
- Evidence grade
- A : Specific numbers from meta-analyses, large cohorts or randomized trials; for law and policy, the statute or official text.
- Sources
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- Manson JE et al. (2019). Vitamin D Supplements and Prevention of Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease. NEJM. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1809944
- Neale RE et al. (2022). The D-Health Trial: a randomised controlled trial of the effect of vitamin D on mortality. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(21)00345-4
Mentioned in
Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 6, tip 3. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer