Amy Reyes

Vitamin D supplementation may not protect the heart from major adverse cardiovascular events, myocardial infarction, stroke or cardiovascular disease mortality, finds a study published in 

This was a meta-analysis of 21 randomized clinical trials of 41,669 patients (mean age 65.8 years, 74 percent female) who received vitamin D supplementation of at least one year and 41,622 who received a placebo. The primary outcome was the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events. Myocardial infarction, stroke or cerebrovascular accident, CVD mortality, and all-cause mortality were the secondary end points.

Vitamin D supplementation was not associated with reduced major adverse cardiovascular events, nor was it associated with the occurrence of myocardial infarction, stroke, CVD mortality or all-cause mortality.

that suggested vitamin D supplementation could reduce the risk of major adverse cardiac events, myocardial infarction, stroke or cardiovascular disease mortality.

"Although observational studies have suggested that low serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D are associated with an increased risk of CVD events, the effects of vitamin D supplementation did not appear to vary according to baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in either the Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial (VITAL)or Vitamin D Assessment (VIDA) trials," wrote researchers who were led by Mahmoud Barbarawi, M.D., Michigan State University.

In a commentary that was published in the same issue of

, Arshed A. Quyyumi, M.D., and Ibhar Al Mheid, M.D., suggested that vitamin D recommendations should be reconsidered.

“Widespread fascination with vitamin D as a panacea for most illnesses, including cardiovascular diseases (CVD), is responsible for nearly a 100-fold increase in vitamin D testing and oral supplementation over the last decade, largely in populations at low risk for vitamin D deficiency.1 Assessment of vitamin D levels is the fifth most commonly ordered laboratory test,” they wrote. “The popularity of vitamin D supplementation is at least partly owing to the misinterpretation of impressive epidemiologic associations between vitamin D status and a breadth of health metrics, leading to a potentially flawed assumption of causality.”

Mahmoud Barbarawi, MD; Babikir Kheiri, MD; Yazan Zayed, MD; et al.

 "Vitamin D Supplementation and Cardiovascular Disease Risks in More Than 83â¯000 Individuals in 21 Randomized Clinical Trials."

. June 19, 2019. DOI:10.1001/jamacardio.2019.1870

Arshed A. Quyyumi, MD; Ibhar Al Mheid, MD. 

"The Demise of Vitamin D for Cardiovascular Prevention."

 June 19, 2019. DOI:10.1001/jamacardio.2019.1906

Articles

Vitamin D supplementation may not protect the heart from major adverse cardiovascular events, myocardial infarction, stroke or cardiovascular disease mortality, finds a study published in JAMA Cardiology.

Vitamin D Panacea No More

Clinical trials for cholesterol-lowering therapies are a constant in medical research, but in 2018, the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association determined that the publication of results from large clinical research trials was enough to warrant updating treatment guidelines to reduce the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) by controlling cholesterol levels. In addition, there has been new research on the use of add-on therapies.Among the updates includes reconsidering the risk assessment for primary prevention. Previously, guidelines used Framingham risk scoring or Pooled Cohort Equation (PCE) risk assessment algorithms to estimate risk, both of which under or overestimate risk for patients. In 2013, it was recommended that clinicians engage in discussions with patients about risk.For these and other recommendations, the guidelines are available in the journals Circulation and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. In this slideshow, we cover the (highlights.RELATED CONTENT:Â  6 Reasons Cholesterol Drug Guidelines Must Change

Grundy SM, Stone NJ, Bailey AL, Beam C, et al. “2018 AHA/ACC/AACVPR/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/ADA/AGS/APhA/ASPC/NLA/PCNA Guideline on the Management of Blood Cholesterol: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines.” Circulation. 2018. DOI:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000625. This article has been co-published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Nov. 10, 2018, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2018.11.003 

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In 2018, the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association teamed up to update treatment guidelines for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Learn more in this recap.

Amy Reyes

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Vitamin D Panacea No More

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