Update: Vitamin D and Omega-3 Ineffective for Preventing Cancer and Heart Disease (too little was used) – Nov 2018

DO-HEALTH

• July 2012 to July 2017

• Europe randomized controlled clinical trial (2x2x2 factorial design = 2 levels of vitamin D, two levels of Omega 3, two types of exercise)

• 70+ year old seniors

• 1 page DO-HEALTH summary Feb 2012

• 8 treatment groups with the 3 interventions alone or combined:

• interventional Vitamin D dosage: 2,000 IU versus placebo.

  • They anticipate many participants will take 800 IU (standard of care), thus the amount might be as much as 2800 IU down to 800 IU

• Omega 3: 1 g (EPA+DHA) per day versus placebo.

• exercise: two interventional programs focused either on “muscle strength” or “joint mobility”. Both programs performed 3 times/ week for 30 minutes

• calcium supplements will be allowed up to a dose of 500 mg per day max (plus diet intake)

• no indication on Magnesium intake

• Compliance: individual follow-up with study personnel every 3 months by phone call or clinical visit to assess new health-related events, ARs, major lifestyle changes, assess compliance and motivate participants

  • Compliance might be enhanced by marking it on the calendar for taking weekly
  •       1 pill taken about once a week instead of having to remember to take a pill every day.
  • no indication of any increase of vitamin D for those who have medications which reduce the vitamin D response
  • no indication of giving more vitamin D for those seniors who are obese, have dark skin, or who have medical reasons for having a low response to vitamin D

• no loading dose. Other studies indicate that the benefit of the vitamin D might not even start in the first year. - see references below

• Sponsored by European Commission within the European 7th Framework Program for Research and Technological Development.

  • The Universities involved and three industrial sponsors (DSM Nutritional Products, Roche and Nestlé Health Science) are co-funding the study.

  Press Release in many languages is attached at bottom of this page

See also Vitamin D Life

• Oveview Seniors and Vitamin D

• All items in Omega-3 items

• All items in category Seniors and Vitamin D items

• All items in category Mortality and Vitamin D items

• Overview of Vitamin D Wiki for Fraser Health - Nov 2011

• Long term care – vitamin D most popular supplement – Jan 2012

• Elderly need 2000 to 3000 IU of vitamin D– June 2010

• Vitamin D may help prevent macular degeneration in women younger than 75 – April 2011

• “ Sunlight Officers ” in some Australian senior facilities – Sept 2011 might be at least as important as exercise

• Half of the seniors needed more than 50,000 IU vitamin D3 monthly – April 2011

• Seniors who increased vitamin D got more physical exercise – Feb 2011

• 65+ years old need 5,000 IU

• 4000 IU Vitamin D intervention helped elderly bones – March 2010

• 2000 IU vitamin D was safe and helped elderly – Feb 2011

• 2000 to 3000 IU required to start to help with osteoporos – June 2010

• 2000 IU barely raised vitamin D levels after hip fracture - May 2010 file

• Seniors needed 2000 to 3000 IU of vitamin D to increase serum levels – June 2010

• 20 year review concludes that Vitamin D reduce aging – July 2010

• Dietary Guidelines vitamin D - virtually no senior gets enough - June 2010 great graph

• 300,000 IU vitamin D helped seniors in many ways – May 2011

• All items in category MegaDose Vitamin D

• Vitamin D3 loading dose of 500,000 IU for elderly – Aug 2009

• Loading vitamin D which has the following table

• Fraser Health giving 20,000 IU vitamin D weekly to reduce falls – Nov 2011 see following graph

See also web

• VITAL Clinical Trial add Omega 3 and 2000 IU of vitamin D
  • Estimated completion June 2016, Run by Dr. Manson who served on IoM committee which recommended just 600 IU of vitamin D
  • Why we need large-scale heart trials of vitamin D - Dec 2010 in Vitamin D Life