New research has emerged that refutes previous studies that suggest vitamin D eases the side effects of muscle soreness and muscle meltdown that can occur when taking statins.
In actual clinical trials involving 2,000 patients, vitamin D showed no effect in preventing statin-related muscle symptoms and discontinuing statin medications due to side effects.
The results of a study on the effect of vitamin D administration on the muscle side effects of statins conducted by Professor Mark A. Hlatky of Stanford Medical School in the United States were published in the international journal JAMA on the 23rd (doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2022.4250 ).
Representative side effects of statins, a treatment for dyslipidemia, include the onset of new diabetes, muscle pain, and muscle wasting. Statin associated muscle symptoms (SAMS) are common and in many cases lead to discontinuation of statin therapy.
In a previous observational study, it was reported that muscle-related side effects were alleviated when statins and vitamin D were used together.
A double-blind clinical study was conducted in which men 50 years of age and older and women 55 years of age and older without cancer or cardiovascular disease who were taking statins were randomly divided into a group of vitamin D (2000 IU per day, n=1033) and a placebo group (n=1050).
The primary endpoint of the study was the number of days of muscle pain or discomfort, and the secondary was discontinuation of statin therapy due to SAMS.
As a result of the analysis, during the 4.8-year follow-up period, muscle-related side effects occurred in 317 (31%) in the vitamin D group and 325 (31%) in the placebo group, without showing statistically significant differences.
When the participants’ serum vitamin D concentration (25-OHD) was divided into three groups: 30 ng/mL or more, 20-30 ng/mL, and less than 20 ng/mL, there was no significant difference in the incidence of side effects.
“Vitamin D supplementation did not prevent statin-related muscle side effects or reduce the risk of discontinuation of statin treatment due to them,” said the researchers. “These results were consistent when pooled by serum vitamin D”.
