Vitamin D supplementation improves dyslipidemia and insulin concentration in elderly: BMC
Iran: Findings from a meta-analysis suggest that vitamin D supplementation (VDS) could improve dyslipidemia and insulin concentration in the elderly population. This is particularly effective in short-term intervention duration and in patients with diabetes and vitamin D deficiency. The study appears in the BMC journal Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome.
The potential effect of vitamin D in cardiac-metabolic disease prevention has been a topic of longstanding interest. However, the results regarding the impact of vitamin D supplementation on the management of cardiac-metabolic outcomes in the elderly have been divergent.
Given the critical assessment of the vitamin D impact on the elderly, Maryam Khazdouz, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, and colleagues aimed to investigate the overall effects of VDS on cardiac-metabolic outcomes in the elderly population.
For this purpose, the researchers systematically searched the electronic databases. All trials that evaluated the effect of VDS on cardiac-metabolic risk factors in the elderly population were included. Standardized mean difference (SMD) was used to assess the effects of VDS on cardiac-metabolic outcomes.
Salient findings of the study include:
- The literature search identified 4409 studies, of which 12 trials met inclusion criteria.
- Results of random effect meta-analysis indicated a significant reduction in total cholesterol (TC) (SMD: − 0.14 mg/dl) and triglyceride (TG) (SMD: − 0.45 mg/dl) with VDS compared to the placebo.
- The subgroup analyses revealed that the reduction of TG in patients with diabetes and vitamin D deficiency was significant.
- Short-term intervention (≤ 6 months) induced a significantly lower level of TG and insulin in comparison to longer duration (> 6 months).
The researchers wrote, "our findings suggest that VDS may improve TG, TC, and insulin concentration in the elderly, especially in short-term intervention duration and in patients with vitamin D deficiency and diabetes.
However, they warn that the study results must be interpreted with caution given the high heterogeneity between included studies, and there is a need for larger and well-designed RCTs to validate these findings.
Reference:
Qorbani, M., Zarei, M., Moradi, Y. et al. Effect of vitamin D supplementation on cardiac-metabolic risk factors in elderly: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials. Diabetol Metab Syndr 14, 88 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13098-022-00859-0
