0
0
A comprehensive study conducted by the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration, EPIC-CVD, and Vitamin D Studies Collaboration explored the relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations and the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and all-cause mortality. The study, incorporating observational and Mendelian randomisation analyses, drew data from 33 prospective studies involving 500,962 individuals with no prior history of heart disease or stroke.
While observational analyses suggested an inverse relationship between incidents of coronary heart disease, stroke, and all-cause mortality with low 25(OH)D concentrations, the genetic analyses did not establish any associations between genetically predicted 25(OH)D and these outcomes. The findings from population-wide genetic analyses across various cohorts of European ancestry revealed no significant associations between genetically predicted 25(OH)D concentrations and coronary heart disease, stroke, or all-cause mortality.
The study’s stratified Mendelian randomisation analyses indicated a lack of causal relationship between 25(OH)D concentrations and cardiovascular outcomes or mortality across all observed levels of 25(OH)D.
This study challenges the notion of a direct causal link between vitamin D levels and cardiovascular risks or mortality, suggesting that substantial reductions in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality through long-term low-dose vitamin D supplementation are unlikely, even when targeted at individuals with low vitamin D status.
Funding for the study was provided by various organizations including the British Heart Foundation, Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health Research, and others. Conflict of interest statements revealed relationships with pharmaceutical companies outside of the submitted work for several authors involved in the study.
