Journal Article DKFZ-2026-01870

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Impact of Vitamin D Supplementation on Hospitalizations for Infection: Results of the D-Health Trial Revisited.

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2026
MDPI Basel

Nutrients 18(14), 2276 () [10.3390/nu18142276]
 GO

Abstract: The D-Health Trial, by far the largest trial investigating the impact of vitamin D supplementation on infection-related hospitalizations, did not find any protective effects. However, this trial was conducted in a mostly vitamin D-replete population of older adults from Australia.We aimed to derive trial results that would have been expected if the trial had been conducted in a vitamin D-insufficient or -deficient population.Our analyses are based on data from the UK Biobank cohort. Participants meeting the D-Health Trial eligibility criteria (n = 185,809) were either weighted to match the trial's baseline 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH)D) distribution (mean 77 nmol/L [30.8 ng/mL]) or restricted to those with insufficiency or deficiency (25(OH)D < 50 nmol/L [<20 ng/mL] or <30 nmol/L [<12 ng/mL], respectively). A 38 nmol/L (15.2 ng/mL) increase in 25(OH)D was assumed, as observed in the trial. Infection-related hospitalizations were identified via International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs), adjusted for a comprehensive list of potential confounders, were estimated using negative binomial models over a follow-up period of 5.7 years, corresponding to the median follow-up time of the D-Health Trial.In analyses reflecting the vitamin D-replete trial population, no protective association was observed (IRR 1.08, 95% CI 0.99-1.17), consistent with the reported trial results. In contrast, among participants with baseline 25(OH)D < 50 nmol/L, a 38-nmol/L increase in 25(OH)D was associated with lower risks of hospitalization for any infection (IRR 0.85, 95% CI 0.80-0.90), with even stronger associations for participants with baseline 25(OH)D < 30 nmol/L (IRR 0.79, 95% CI 0.73-0.86). Findings were consistent across infection types, sex, and body mass index (BMI).Null findings in the vitamin D-replete D-Health trial population were to be expected. Substantial protective effects might have been expected in vitamin D-insufficient or -deficient populations.

Keyword(s): cohort study ; hospitalization ; infection ; randomized controlled trials ; vitamin D

Classification:

Note: #EA:M320#LA:M320#

Contributing Institute(s):
  1. Koordinierungsstelle der Cancer Prevention GS (M320)
  2. Klinische Epidemiologie der Krebsfrüherkennung (C070)
Research Program(s):
  1. 313 - Krebsrisikofaktoren und Prävention (POF4-313) (POF4-313)

Appears in the scientific report 2026
Database coverage:
Medline ; BIOSIS Previews ; Biological Abstracts ; Clarivate Analytics Master Journal List ; Essential Science Indicators ; IF >= 5 ; JCR ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Web of Science Core Collection
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 Record created 2026-07-29, last modified 2026-07-29



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