ABSTRACT

Context Falls among elderly individuals occur frequently, increase with age, and lead to substantial morbidity and mortality. The role of vitamin D in preventing falls among elderly people has not been well established.Objective To assess the effectiveness of vitamin D in preventing an older person from falling.

Nonvertebral fracture prevention with vitamin D is dose dependent, and a higher dose should reduce fractures by at least 20% for individuals aged 65 years or older.

IMPORTANCE Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with poor physical performance. OBJECTIVE To determine the effectiveness of high-dose vitamin D in lowering the risk of functional decline. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS One-year, double-blind, randomized clinical trial conducted in Zurich, Switzerland. The screening phase was December 1, 2009, to May 31, 2010, and the last study visit was in May 2011. The dates of our analysis were June 15, 2012, to October 10, 2015. Participants were 200 community-dwelling men and women 70 years and older with a prior fall. INTERVENTIONS Three study groups with monthly treatments, including a low-dose control group receiving 24 000 IU of vitamin D 3 (24 000 IU group), a group receiving 60 000 IU of vitamin D 3 (60 000 IU group), and a group receiving 24 000 IU of vitamin D 3 plus 300 μg of calcifediol (24 000 IU plus calcifediol group). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary end point was improving lower extremity function (on the Short Physical Performance Battery) and achieving 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels of at least 30 ng/mL at 6 and 12 months. A secondary end point was monthly reported falls. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index. RESULTS The study cohort comprised 200 participants (men and women Ն70 years with a prior fall). Their mean age was 78 years, 67.0% (134 of 200) were female, and 58.0% (116 of 200) were vitamin D deficient (<20 ng/mL) at baseline. Intent-to-treat analyses showed that, while 60 000 IU and 24 000 IU plus calcifediol were more likely than 24 000 IU to result in 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels of at least 30 ng/mL (P = .001), they were not more effective in improving lower extremity function, which did not differ among the treatment groups (P = .26). However, over the 12-month follow-up, the incidence of falls differed significantly among the treatment groups, with higher incidences in the 60 000 IU group (66.9%; 95% CI, 54.4% to 77.5%) and the 24 000 IU plus calcifediol group (66.1%; 95% CI, 53.5%-76.8%) group compared with the 24 000 IU group (47.9%; 95% CI, 35.8%-60.3%) (P = .048). Consistent with the incidence of falls, the mean number of falls differed marginally by treatment group. The 60 000 IU group (mean, 1.47) and the 24 000 IU plus calcifediol group (mean, 1.24) had higher mean numbers of falls compared with the 24 000 IU group (mean, 0.94) (P = .09). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Although higher monthly doses of vitamin D were effective in reaching a threshold of at least 30 ng/mL of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, they had no benefit on lower extremity function and were associated with increased risk of falls compared with 24 000 IU. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01017354

The benefits of vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and exercise in disease prevention remain unclear.OBJECTIVE To test whether vitamin D, omega-3s, and a strength-training exercise program, alone or in combination, improved 6 health outcomes among older adults. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Double-blind, placebo-controlled, 2 × 2 × 2 factorial randomized clinical trial among 2157 adults aged 70 years or older who had no major health events in the 5 years prior to enrollment and had sufficient mobility and good cognitive status. Patients were recruited between December 2012 and November 2014, and final follow-up was in November 2017. INTERVENTIONS Participants were randomized to 3 years of intervention in 1 of the following 8 groups: 2000 IU/d of vitamin D 3 , 1 g/d of omega-3s, and a strength-training exercise program (n = 264); vitamin D 3 and omega-3s (n = 265); vitamin D 3 and exercise (n = 275); vitamin D 3 alone (n = 272); omega-3s and exercise (n = 275); omega-3s alone (n = 269); exercise alone (n = 267); or placebo (n = 270). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESThe 6 primary outcomes were change in systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and incidence rates (IRs) of nonvertebral fractures and infections over 3 years. Based on multiple comparisons of 6 primary end points, 99% confidence intervals are presented and P < .01 was required for statistical significance. Infections, IR ratio 0.95 (0.84-1.08) .33 0.89 (0.78-1.01) .02 1.04 (0.92-1.18) .38CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among adults without major comorbidities aged 70 years or older, treatment with vitamin D 3 , omega-3s, or a strength-training exercise program did not result in statistically significant differences in improvement in systolic or diastolic blood pressure, nonvertebral fractures, physical performance, infection rates, or cognitive function. These findings do not support the effectiveness of these 3 interventions for these clinical outcomes.