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Safety Profile of Vitamin D Supplements Using Real-World Data from 445,493 Participants of the UK Biobank: Slightly Higher Hypercalcemia Prevalence but Neither Increased Risks of Kidney Stones nor Atherosclerosis
Sha, S.; Degen, M.; Vlaski, T.; Fan, Z.; Brenner, H.; Schöttker, B. The Safety Profile of Vitamin D Supplements Using Real-World Data from 445,493 Participants of the UK Biobank: Slightly Higher Hypercalcemia Prevalence but Neither Increased Risks of Kidney Stones nor Atherosclerosis. Nutrients2024, 16, 2251.
Sha, S.; Degen, M.; Vlaski, T.; Fan, Z.; Brenner, H.; Schöttker, B. The Safety Profile of Vitamin D Supplements Using Real-World Data from 445,493 Participants of the UK Biobank: Slightly Higher Hypercalcemia Prevalence but Neither Increased Risks of Kidney Stones nor Atherosclerosis. Nutrients 2024, 16, 2251.
Sha, S.; Degen, M.; Vlaski, T.; Fan, Z.; Brenner, H.; Schöttker, B. The Safety Profile of Vitamin D Supplements Using Real-World Data from 445,493 Participants of the UK Biobank: Slightly Higher Hypercalcemia Prevalence but Neither Increased Risks of Kidney Stones nor Atherosclerosis. Nutrients2024, 16, 2251.
Sha, S.; Degen, M.; Vlaski, T.; Fan, Z.; Brenner, H.; Schöttker, B. The Safety Profile of Vitamin D Supplements Using Real-World Data from 445,493 Participants of the UK Biobank: Slightly Higher Hypercalcemia Prevalence but Neither Increased Risks of Kidney Stones nor Atherosclerosis. Nutrients 2024, 16, 2251.
Abstract
Background: Potential calcium-related adverse events of vitamin D supplement use have not been addressed in large-scale, real-world data so far.
Methods: Leveraging data from the UK Biobank, encompassing 445,493 individuals aged 40-69, we examined associations of high 25-hydroxyvitamin (25[OH]D) levels ≥100 nmol/L and vitamin D supplementation with hypercalcemia (plasma calcium >2.6 mmol/L), kidney stones, and atherosclerosis assessments (pulse wave arterial stiffness index and carotid intima-medial thickness). Regression models were comprehensively adjusted for 49 covariates.
Results: Approximately 1.5% of the participants had high 25(OH)D levels, 4.3% regularly used vitamin D supplements, and 20.4% reported regular multivitamin use. At baseline, the hypercalcemia prevalence was 1.6%, and 1.1% were diagnosed with kidney stones during follow-up. High 25(OH)D levels were neither associated with calcium-related adverse events nor atherosclerosis assessments. Vitamin D and multivitamin supplementation were associated with an increased prevalence of hypercalcemia (odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals: 1.46[1.32-1.62] and 1.11[1.04-1.18], respectively) but were neither associated with atherosclerosis nor future kidney stones.
Conclusion: High 25(OH)D levels observable in routine care were not associated with any adverse outcome. Vitamin D users have a slightly higher prevalence of hypercalcemia, possibly due to co-supplementation with calcium, but without higher atherosclerosis prevalence or risk of kidney stones.
Keywords
Vitamin D supplementation; high 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration; adverse events; real-world evidence
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Medicine and Pharmacology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
