Trial reportThe Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism2021
Effects of Vitamin D3 Supplementation on Body Composition in the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL).
Trial report in The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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
15 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Pooled it
- 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
- Association of Body Weight With Response to Vitamin D Supplementation and Metabolism.JAMA network open · 2023Trial
- Vitamin D in inflammatory rheumatic diseases: still a challenge.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2026Review
- Novel Anthropometric Indices and Probability of Adequate Nutrient Intake in the Older Polish Population.Nutrients · 2025Article
- Vitamin D and disease prevention in 2024: commentary on recent Endocrine Society recommendations.Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research · 2025Article
- Article
- Calcium, Phosphorus, and Vitamin D Levels in a Series of Cystic Fibrosis Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- Associations between vitamin D and autoimmune diseases: Mendelian randomization analysis.Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism · 2023Article
- The Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Musculoskeletal Health: The VITAL and DO-Health Trials.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2023Review
- Rationale and design of an ancillary study evaluating the effects of the cocoa flavanol and/or multivitamin interventions on falls and physical performance outcomes in the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study (COSMOS).Contemporary clinical trials · 2023Article
- Utilizing logistic regression to compare risk factors in disease modeling with imbalanced data: a case study in vitamin D and cancer incidence.Frontiers in oncology · 2023Article
- Serum TSH, 25(OH) D and phosphorus levels predict weight loss in individuals with diabetes/prediabetes and morbid obesity: a single-center retrospective cohort analysis.BMC endocrine disorders · 2022Article
- Role of vitamin D supplementation in the management of musculoskeletal diseases: update from an European Society of Clinical and Economical Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO) working group.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
14 authors.
Funding
Abstract
contextAlthough observational studies show inverse associations between vitamin D status and body weight/adiposity, there are few large randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating this relationship.
objectiveTo determine whether vitamin D3 supplementation lowers weight or improves body composition.
designThe VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL) was a double-blinded, placebo-controlled RCT including 25 871 US adults. This ancillary study was completed in a sub-cohort that underwent body composition assessments at baseline and 2-year follow-up (89% retention).
settingHarvard Clinical and Translational Science Center in Boston.
participants771 participants (men ≥ 50 and women ≥ 55 years).
interventions2 × 2 factorial design of supplemental vitamin D3 (2000 IU/day) and/or omega-3 fatty acids (1 g/day).
main outcome measuresEndpoints were 2-year changes in weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and total and/or regional fat and lean tissue measures determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Effect modification by clinical variables and total and free 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels was explored.
resultsThere were no effects of supplemental vitamin D3vs placebo on weight, BMI, or measures of adiposity and lean tissue. Effects did not vary by sex, race/ethnicity, fat mass index, or baseline total or free 25(OH)D levels. Vitamin D3 supplementation did slightly improve body fat percentage in participants with normal BMI at baseline, but not in the overweight or obese (P for interaction = 0.04).
conclusionsDaily vitamin D3 supplementation vs placebo in the general older population did not improve weight or body composition. Whether supplemental vitamin D3 may benefit individuals with normal BMI warrants further study.
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