Higher dietary vitamin D intake is associated with better survival among older women: Results from the French EPIDOS cohort.

Background: Hypovitaminosis D, a condition highly common among older adults, is associated with 35-percent increased all-cause mortality. In contrast, vitamin D supplementation prevents all-cause mortality. The possible role of the dietary intake of vitamin D on mortality remains yet unknown. Objectives: The objective of this prospective study was to determine all-cause mortality risk according to baseline dietary vitamin D intake among older adults while accounting for potential confounders including dietary calcium intake. Methods: Vitamin D and calcium dietary intakes were estimated at baseline from a self-administered food frequency questionnaire among 3,066 community-dwelling older women aged ≥75 years, recruited in the French EPIDOS cohort between 1992 and 1994, and for whom information about vital status was available in 2010. Dietary vitamin D and calcium intakes were defined as low if <400 IU/day or <1,200 mg/day, respectively. Results: The mean ± SD age of the whole cohort was 80.1 ± 3.6 years at baseline. The median survival time from baseline for participants with low dietary vitamin D intake was 11.5 years [95% confidence interval (CI): 11.0-11.9] vs. 12.2 years (95% CI: 11.7-12.9) for those consuming more than 400 IU/day ( Conclusion: Higher dietary vitamin D intake was associated with better survival in the study cohort, specifically among those consuming <1,200 mg/day of dietary calcium.