Vitamin D Supplementation Didn't Lower Short-Term All-Cause Mortality

Several meta-analyses have suggested that vitamin D supplementation lowers short-term mortality, especially in elders. In this new meta-analysis, researchers included recently published trials and addressed some limitations of previous analyses.

Fifty-two trials with >75,000 participants (median age, 74; ≈71% women; median follow-up, 1.2 years) were included. In most trials, vitamin D supplementation was compared with placebo or no treatment. When other agents were given (e.g., calcium), they were given at the same dosage to all groups. Vitamin D supplementation did not prevent early all-cause death; cardiovascular-related death; or non–cancer-related, non–cardiovascular-related death. However, vitamin D supplementation significantly lowered…