“Supplements are not miracle pills,” scientist says as study questions vitamin D3 and omega 3 impact on frailty

14 Sep 2022 --- Investigators at the US-based Brigham and Women’s Hospital published a study in JAMA, examining if vitamin D3 and omega 3 reduce the risk of frailty. The study did not provide significant results. Therefore, frailty prevention by the supplements cannot be confirmed.

The findings show that “neither vitamin D3 nor omega-3-fatty acid supplementation had any effect on frailty scores during the study period. They conclude that these results do not support the routine use of vitamin D3 or omega 3 fatty acid supplements for frailty prevention in generally healthy, older adults.”

The results from the placebo group did not vary from those of the intervention group.

A healthy participant groupOnly one dosage of the supplements were tested in the trial, making it inconclusive that it was the optimal dose. 
Twenty-five thousand adults participated in the clinical trial and filled out questionnaires prior, six months in, and annually throughout the five-year study period. The assessment measured physical function, mood, cognition and general health and compared the results with an intervention and placebo group.

The participants were men above 50 years old and women above 55, not suffering from cardiovascular disease, cancer or frailty on record.

Ariela Orkaby, a co-author of the study, says, “our findings are in line with previous results that do not suggest a role of vitamin D3 or omega 3 supplements for most healthy, community-dwelling older adults.”

“We should consider the unnecessary deprescribing of pills and promote healthy lifestyle habits. Regular exercise and the Mediterranean diet are proven strategies for prevention of frailty and should be encouraged for all older adults,” Orkaby added.

“These new findings are an important reminder that dietary supplements are not miracle pills or elixirs of youth,” says JoAnn Manson, director of the trial and chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham.

Limits and contradictions
The study stresses that the trial only examined one daily dose – 2000 IU of vitamin D3 and 840 mg of omega 3 – which may not be optimal for preventing frailty. The study also notes that the participants also had a lower level of frailty than the general population.

“As a result, the study does not generalize to non-community-dwelling older adults who are the most vulnerable and at risk of poor outcomes from frailty. In addition, direct measures of function and frailty status, such as gait speed, were available only in a subgroup of participants. However, the results included multiple self-reported items related to functional status.”

Previously, a study carried out across five European countries showed positive effects of combining vitamin D, omega 3 and physical exercise on cancer prevention.

Another study by researchers from Finland and Australia found potential for vitamin D and omega 3 on depression. 

Even though studies on supplements show controversial results, researchers have previously highlighted that there is no “magic pill” and that they should contribute to nutrients from diets rather than replace them.

Edited by Beatrice Wihlander