Trial reportThe American journal of clinical nutrition2019
Vitamin D supplementation for the prevention of depression and poor physical function in older persons: the D-Vitaal study, a randomized clinical trial.
Trial report in The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 110 citations in OpenAlex.
- Nutraceuticals in Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Pooled it
- Efficacy of vitamin D supplementation on depressive symptoms in older patients: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Pooled it
- The Therapeutic Impact of Plant-Based and Nutritional Supplements on Anxiety, Depressive Symptoms and Sleep Quality among Adults and Elderly: A Systematic Review of the Literature.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- Association of a low vitamin D status with risk of post-stroke depression: A meta-analysis and systematic review.Frontiers in nutrition · 2023Pooled it
- Vitamin D Supplementation and Sleep: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Intervention Studies.Nutrients · 2022Pooled it
- Vitamin D Receptor Gene Polymorphisms and Risk of Alzheimer Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2021Pooled it
- Relationship between vitamin D deficiency and psychophysiological variables: a systematic review of the literature.Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2021Pooled it
- Inappropriate vitamin D supplementation among multimorbid older patients: a multicountry analysis.BMC geriatrics · 2025Trial
- The effect of vitamin D supplementation on mental and functional health outcomes in African Americans with type 2 diabetes.The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology · 2025Trial
- Effects of Supplemental Vitamin D3, Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Physical Performance Measures in the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2024Trial
- Effects of Vitamin DThe Journal of clinical psychiatry · 2023Trial
- Cholecalciferol Supplementation Does Not Affect the Risk of HIV Progression, Viral Suppression, Comorbidities, Weight Loss, and Depression among Tanzanian Adults Initiating Antiretroviral Therapy: Secondary Outcomes of a Randomized Trial.The Journal of nutrition · 2022Trial
- Vitamin D Supplementation for the Treatment of Depressive Symptoms in Women with Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Journal of diabetes research · 2022Trial
- Effects of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation on Phase Angle and Physical Function in Patients with Prostate Cancer on ADT.Nutrition and cancer · 2021Trial
- Vitamin D supplementation improves anxiety but not depression symptoms in patients with vitamin D deficiency.Brain and behavior · 2020Trial
- Trial
- The Association Between Serum Vitamin D and Lipid Levels in Patients With Depression: A Cross-Sectional Study.Alpha psychiatry · 2026Article
- Threshold effects of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels on major depressive symptoms.General psychiatry · 2026Article
- Relationships between diabetes, vitamin D status, depression, and Hispanic ethnicity: a project FRONTIER study.Nutrition & diabetes · 2026Article
- Association between vitamin D levels and psychological stress-induced asthma prevalence: an untargeted metabolomics study combined with the NHANES database.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDepressive symptoms and impaired physical functioning are prevalent among older adults. Supplementation with vitamin D might improve both conditions, particularly in persons with low vitamin D status.
objectiveThe D-Vitaal study primarily aimed to investigate the effect of vitamin D supplementation on depressive symptoms, functional limitations, and physical performance in a high-risk older population with low vitamin D status. Secondary aims included examining the effect of vitamin D supplementation on anxiety symptoms, cognitive functioning, mobility, handgrip strength, and health-related quality of life.
methodsThis study was a randomized placebo-controlled trial with 155 participants aged 60-80 y who had clinically relevant depressive symptoms, ≥1 functional limitations, and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations of 15-50/70 nmol/L (depending on season). Participants received 1200 IU/d vitamin D3 (n = 77) or placebo tablets (n = 78) for 12 mo. Serum 25(OH)D was measured at baseline and 6 mo; outcomes were assessed at baseline, 6 mo, and 12 mo. Linear mixed-models analyses were conducted to assess the effect of the intervention.
resultsThe supplementation increased serum 25(OH)D concentrations in the intervention group to a mean ± SD of 85 ± 16 nmol/L compared with 43 ± 18 nmol/L in the placebo group after 6 mo (P < 0.001). No relevant differences between the treatment groups were observed regarding depressive symptoms, functional limitations, physical performance, or any of the secondary outcomes.
conclusionsSupplementation with 1200 IU/d vitamin D for 12 mo had no effect on depressive symptoms and physical functioning in older persons with relatively low vitamin D status, clinically relevant depressive symptoms, and poor physical functioning. This trial is registered with the Netherlands Trial Register (www.trialregister.nl) under NTR3845.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.