Vit D and Omega-3 supplements won't magically stop frailty

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-09-14 01:00

International

Simply taking Vitamin D and Omega-3 supplements will not reduce frailty in old age, according to international researchers who looked at almost 26,000 healthy adults over age 50. Frailty can lead to increased risk of fractures, hospitalisations and death, and the Mediterranean diet has been shown to reduce frailty in old age, so researchers set out to figure out if simply taking Vitamin D and Omega-3 supplements would have the same effect. The team found that, compared with a placebo, there was no difference in participants’ ‘frailty score’ after five years of treatment. An accompanying editorial says while taking the supplements is not supported by the research, "shifting our attention to an active, engaged lifestyle and the Mediterranean diet might improve longevity; reduce heart disease, dementia, and diabetes; and perhaps most important to older adults, reduce frailty and loss of independence."

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Research JAMA, Web page The URL will go live after the embargo lifts.

Editorial / Opinion JAMA, Web page The URL will go live after the embargo lifts.

Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Harvard Medical School, USA

Funder: The Vitamin D and Omega-3 (VITAL) trial was supported by NIH grants U01 CA138962, R01 CA138962, and R01 AT011729, which included support from the National Cancer Institute, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Dr Orkaby is supported by Veterans Affairs CSR&D CDA-2 award IK2-CX001800, and Dr Okereke was supported by NIH grant R01 MH091448.

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