Harvard blockbuster study: Vitamin D and fish oil reduce the risk of autoimmune diseases by 25% to 30%

The impact of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acid nutritional supplements on health has long been a research focus in various disciplines

Recently, the research team at Harvard University brigham and Women's Hospital has focused on heavy research related to vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids (VITAL trial)

This research is based on supplementary analysis done by VITAL research

In the study, the researchers included 25,871 men and women with an average age of 67.

Supplement vitamin D 2000IU/day + omega-3 fish oil capsules 1g/day,

Supplement vitamin D+omega-3 placebo,

Supplement omega-3 + vitamin D placebo,

Supplement two placebos

In this analysis of the incidence of autoimmune diseases, participants are required to report autoimmune disease events diagnosed by their doctors every year

During a median follow-up of 5.

117 participants in the vitamin D group (supplemented alone or in combination with omega-3) and 150 participants in the vitamin D placebo group were diagnosed with autoimmune diseases

123 participants in the omega-3 fatty acid group (alone or in combination) and 144 participants in the omega-3 fatty acid placebo group were diagnosed with autoimmune diseases

After adjusting for factors such as age, gender, race, and other supplements, the analysis found that:

Vitamin D supplementation alone is associated with a 32% reduction in the risk of autoimmune diseases;

Supplementing omega-3 fatty acids alone is associated with a 26% reduction in the risk of autoimmune diseases;

Simultaneous supplementation of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids is associated with a 31% reduction in the risk of autoimmune diseases

▲With an average follow-up of 5.

Researchers also observed that the longer the supplementation time, the more obvious the effects of vitamin D and Omega-3

The presenter of the paper, Dr.

In addition, the researchers observed an interaction between vitamin D supplementation and body mass index (BMI): Among participants with low BMI, vitamin D supplementation had a stronger preventive effect on autoimmune diseases (P=0.

The paper concluded that supplementation of vitamin D and/or omega-3 fatty acids for 5 years can reduce the incidence of autoimmune diseases in the elderly by 25% to 30%

Dr.

Cheryl Koehn, a patient with arthritis, shared: “Although she did not participate in this study, her specialists have recommended herself to take vitamin D (1000 IU per day) for many years
.
” Dr.
Fatma Dedeoglu, a rheumatologist at Boston Children's Hospital, also shared Said, "I would also recommend that patients consider taking vitamin D supplements
.
"

The researchers also pointed out that the study may also have certain limitations: the lack of data on high-risk or nutritionally deficient populations, in these populations, supplementary nutritional supplements may have a greater impact
.
Moreover, participants are limited to the elderly, and these supplements may also have health benefits for people of other age groups
.

Reference

[1]Vitamin D and Marine n-3 Fatty Acid Supplementation and Prevention ofAutoimmune Disease in the VITAL Randomized Controlled Trial.
retrieved ACRConvergence 2021, from https://acrabstracts.
org/abstract/vitamin-d-and-marine-n-3 -fatty-acid-supplementation-and-prevention-of-autoimmune-disease-in-the-vital-randomized-controlled-trial/

[2]Vitamin D and Omega-3 Supplements Reduce Autoimmune Disease Risk.
RetrievedNovember 07, 2021, from https:// original text has been deleted)