Heart attack risk halved in adults with heart disease if >40 ng level of vitamin D (RCT)
American Heart Association Conference
The TARGET-D randomized clinical trial included adults with heart disease who also had a previous heart attack to determine whether achieving optimal vitamin D blood levels could prevent future heart attacks, strokes, heart failure hospitalizations or deaths.
Participants in the TARGET-D study were randomized to two groups: The standard of care group did not receive management of their vitamin D levels, and the treatment group received tailored vitamin D supplementation, with doses adjusted every three months until their vitamin D blood levels were above 40 ng/mL. Once the vitamin D level was above 40 ng/mL, levels were checked annually and doses adjusted if levels dropped below that target.
Nearly 52% of participants in the treatment group required more than 5,000 IU of vitamin D each day to reach the target blood levels of greater than 40 ng/mL.
A total of 107 major cardiac events, including heart attack, heart failure hospitalization, stroke or death, occurred during the study period (15.7% occurred in the treatment group, and 18.4% occurred in the standard care group).
... Myocardial infarction was substantially reduced (7.9% versus 3.8%)
- PDF will probably be published sometime in 2026