The Operating Theatre Journal - Flipbook - Page 18
Taking higher-than-recommended doses of vitamin D for
five years reduced the risk of atrial fibrillation
Taking higher-than-recommended doses of
vitamin D for five years reduced the risk of
atrial fibrillation in older men and women,
according to a new study from the University
of Eastern Finland.
Data on the occurrence of diseases and deaths
were also obtained from Finnish nationwide
health registers. Approximately 20 % of
participants were randomly selected for more
detailed examinations and blood samples.
Atrial fibrillation is the most common
arrhythmia, the risk of which increases with
age, and which is associated with an increased
risk of stroke, heart failure and mortality.
Vitamin D has been shown to have an effect,
for example, on the atrial structure and the
electrical function of the heart, suggesting
that vitamin D might prevent atrial fibrillation.
During the five-year study, 190 participants
were diagnosed with atrial fibrillation: 76 in
the placebo group, 59 in the 40 micrograms
group, and 55 in the 80 micrograms group.
The risk of atrial fibrillation was 27% lower
in the 40 micrograms group, and 32% lower
in the 80 micrograms group, when compared
to the placebo group. In the sub-cohort
selected for more detailed examinations, the
mean baseline serum calcidiol concentration,
which is a marker of the body’s vitamin
D concentration, was relatively high, 75
nmol/l. After one year, the mean calcidiol
concentration was 100 nmol/l in the 40
micrograms group, and 120 nmol/l in the 80
micrograms group. No significant change in the
calcidiol concentration was observed in the
placebo group.
Conducted at the University of Eastern Finland
in 2012–2018, the main objective of the Finnish
Vitamin D Trial, FIND, was to explore the
associations of vitamin D supplementation
with the incidence of cardiovascular diseases
and cancers.
The five-year study involved 2,495 participants,
60-year-old or older men and 65-year-old or
older women, who were randomised into three
groups: one placebo group and two vitamin
D3 supplementation groups, with one of the
groups taking a supplement of 40 micrograms
(1600 IU) per day, and the other a supplement
of 80 micrograms (3200 IU) per day.
All participants were also allowed to take
their personal vitamin D supplement, up to
20 micrograms (800 IU) per day, which at the
beginning of the study was the recommended
dose for this age group. At baseline, study
participants had not been diagnosed with
cardiovascular disease or cancer, and they
completed comprehensive questionnaires,
both at the beginning and throughout the
study, on their lifestyles and nutrition, as
well as on risk factors of diseases and disease
occurrence.
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FIND is the first randomized controlled trial
to observe that vitamin D supplementation
reduces the risk of atrial fibrillation in
generally healthy men and women. Previous
research is limited to only two randomized
trials, which did not observe an effect when
using doses of 10 micrograms (400 IU) or 50
micrograms (2000 IU) per day.
Further confirmation of the present results
from the FIND study is therefore needed
before doses of vitamin D that significantly
exceed
current
recommendations
can
be recommended for preventing atrial
fibrillation. The FIND study has previously
published findings showing no association with
the incidence of other cardiovascular events
or cancers.
THE OPERATING THEATRE JOURNAL
The FIND study was supported by funding from
the Research Council of Finland, University
of Eastern Finland, Juho Vainio Foundation,
Finnish
Foundation
for
Cardiovascular
Research,
Finnish
Diabetes
Research
Foundation, and Finnish Cultural Foundation,
and Medicinska Understödsföreningen Liv och
Hälsa.
For further information, please contact:
Associate Professor Jyrki Virtanen, University
of Eastern Finland, Institute of Public Health
and Clinical Nutrition, tel. +358-40-3552957,
jyrki.virtanen@uef.fi
Research article:
The effect of vitamin D3 supplementation on
atrial fibrillation in generally healthy men
and women – the Finnish Vitamin D Trial.
Jyrki K. Virtanen, Sari Hantunen, Christel
Lamberg-Allardt, JoAnn E. Manson, Tarja
Nurmi, Matti Uusitupa, Ari Voutilainen, TomiPekka Tuomainen.
American Heart Journal, published June 10,
2023. DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ahj.2023.05.024
https://news.cision.com/university-of-easternfinland/r/taking-higher-than-recommendeddoses-of-vitamin-d-for-five-years-reducedthe-risk-of-atrial-fibrilla,c3794821
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