Vitamin D and multiple health outcomes in the Harvard cohorts

✍ Scribed by Melissa Y. Wei; Edward L. Giovannucci

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 139 KB
• Volume: 54
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1613-4125
• DOI: 10.1002/mnfr.200900574

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The hypothesis that vitamin D is inversely associated with multiple health outcomes has been studied in the Harvard cohorts, including the Nurses' Health Study I (n=121 700 female nurses aged 37–64 at baseline in 1984), Nurses' Health Study II (n=116 671 female nurses aged 27–44 years at baseline in 1991), Health Professionals Follow‐up Study (n=51 529 male health professionals aged 40–75 years at baseline in 1986), and Physicians' Health Study (n=22 071 male physicians aged 40–84 years at baseline in 1982). These studies assessed vitamin D through circulating 25‐hydroxyvitamin D, dietary and supplemental intake, predicted 25‐hydroxyvitamin D, and vitamin D receptor polymorphisms. This review summarizes studies of vitamin D and various endpoints considered in these cohorts, including risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, elevated plasma C‐peptide, various cancers, bone fractures, and multiple sclerosis. Based on the multiple observed benefits of vitamin D, this article postulates recommendations for vitamin D intake in the US population for reduced incidence of multiple health outcomes.