Researchers at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have found that taking vitamin D supplements for two years, regardless of dose, did not reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The findings of their research were published in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

To assess the effects of vitamin D supplements on the heart, researchers looked at whether higher doses of this substance reduced blood levels of two specific proteins that indicate heart damage and strain.

Also, they analyzed data from a study that examined the effect of vitamin D3 supplementation on the risk of falls in adults aged 70 years and older.

Participants in the research were randomly assigned to one of four groups. The first received 200, the second—1,000, the third—2,000, and the fourth—4,000 international units (IUs) of D3 vitamin.

Blood levels of cardiovascular disease biomarkers were measured at baseline and three months, one year, and 24 months after starting the supplements.

The analysis did not confirm the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease in adults.

Low levels of vitamin D are associated with increased early markers of heart disease, the researchers noted. But over the course of the two-year study, targeted supplementation had no effect—regardless of dose—on any measure of cardiovascular health.