Precision Vitamin D Treatment Cuts Second Heart Attack Risk by 50%: Study Finds - Video

A new study has reported that a personalized vitamin D3 treatment plan for patients who have suffered a heart attack can greatly reduce their chances of another one. The findings from the TARGET-D Randomized Clinical Trial were presented at the 2025 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in New Orleans and simultaneously published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).

Low vitamin D levels have long been linked to adverse cardiovascular outcomes, but previous studies using standard supplementation doses failed to show measurable benefits. The Intermountain team aimed to test a more personalized strategy, adjusting supplementation based on blood levels rather than providing the same dose to all patients.

The TARGET-D trial enrolled 630 patients who had experienced a heart attack within one month of joining the study. Conducted from April 2017 to May 2023, with follow-up through March 2025, participants were randomly assigned to receive either no vitamin D management or active, targeted vitamin D3 treatment. The treatment group’s goal was to maintain blood vitamin D levels above 40 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). At enrollment, 85% of patients had levels below that threshold.

More than half of the patients in the treatment group required initial doses of 5,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D3—far higher than the typical 600–800 IU daily recommendation. Blood levels were checked regularly, and doses were adjusted until the target range was achieved.

Researchers tracked major adverse cardiac events (MACE), including heart attacks, strokes, heart failure hospitalizations, or deaths. Of the 630 participants, 107 experienced such events. While the overall MACE rates did not differ significantly between the two groups, the risk of a second heart attack was reduced by half among those receiving targeted vitamin D therapy.

Researchers plan to expand their work with a larger clinical trial to confirm these promising findings and explore whether targeted vitamin D management can also reduce other cardiovascular complications.

Reference: https://intermountainhealthcare.org/