Tier 1 — highest

The D-Health Trial: a randomised controlled trial of the effect of vitamin D on mortality

Rachel E Neale, Catherine Baxter, Briony Duarte Romero, Donald S A McLeod, Dallas R English, Bruce K Armstrong, Peter R Ebeling, Gunter Hartel, Michael G Kimlin, Rachel O'Connell, Jolieke C van der Pols, Alison J Venn, Penelope M Webb, David C Whiteman, Mary Waterhouse
The lancet. Diabetes & endocrinology 2022 10(2):120-128

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 35026158
DOI
10.1016/S2213-8587(21)00345-4
Funding
Support is recorded from Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. See the original publication for grant and material-support details.
Competing interests
The publication includes author disclosures; consult the linked source for the individual relationships and their relevance.

Study snapshot

DesignRandomized controlled clinical trial
ModelHuman participants
Sample21,315 Australians aged 60+ randomized
InterventionVitamin D3 60,000 IU monthly or placebo
Duration5-year intervention; median 5.7-year mortality follow-up
EndpointsAll-cause mortality; Cause-specific mortality

What the study showed, in plain terms

This publication examines all-cause mortality, cause-specific mortality. Study population or evidence base: 21,315 Australians aged 60+ randomized. Intervention or exposure: Vitamin D3 60,000 IU monthly or placebo.

Key findings

Monthly vitamin D3 did not significantly reduce all-cause or cardiovascular mortality in unscreened older adults.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Intermittent monthly dosing in a largely vitamin D-replete population differs from deficiency treatment or daily dosing. Exploratory cause-specific results require cautious interpretation.

Related papers in the corpus

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Vitamin D supplementation and major cardiovascular events: D-Health randomised controlled trial
Bridie Thompson et al. · BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2023
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The effect of vitamin D supplementation on cancer incidence in the randomised controlled D-Health Trial: Implications for policy and practice
Rachel E Neale et al. · The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology · 2025
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Vitamin D supplementation and risk of falling: outcomes from the randomized, placebo-controlled D-Health Trial
Mary Waterhouse et al. · Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2021

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