Research summary
The 2011 Institute of Medicine report on dietary reference intakes for calcium and vitamin D synthesized evidence supporting skeletal-health roles while concluding extraskeletal benefits (cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders) remained inconsistent [1]. Following 84,941 female nurses from 1980 to 1996 with periodically updated diet and lifestyle data, a five-variable low-risk profile (BMI <25; diet high in cereal fiber and polyunsaturated fat, low in trans fat and glycemic load; physical activity; nonsmoking; moderate alcohol) was associated with sharply reduced type 2 diabetes risk [2]. Individual-participant-data meta-analysis of 239 prospective studies covering 10,625,411 participants across four continents quantified BMI-mortality associations among never-smokers without chronic disease who survived five years (385,879 deaths in 3,951,455 people) [3]. A randomized double-blind trial of 22,071 male physicians given 50 mg beta carotene on alternate days over 12 years found no effect on incidence of malignant neoplasms or cardiovascular disease [4]. Among 87,245 female nurses aged 34-59 followed for up to eight years (679,485 person-years), higher vitamin E consumption was associated with reduced coronary disease risk (552 major events documented) [5]. The Women's Health Initiative randomized trial of estrogen plus progestin in 16,608 postmenopausal women aged 50-79 reported final results showing the combination did not confer cardiac protection and may increase coronary heart disease risk [6]. Following 48,470 postmenopausal women aged 30-63 in the Nurses' Health Study for up to 10 years (337,854 person-years), the relationship between postmenopausal estrogen therapy and cardiovascular disease was characterized [7]. Sixteen-year follow-up of 115,195 U.S. women aged 30-55 in the Nurses' Health Study (4,726 deaths) examined BMI associations with overall and cause-specific mortality [8]. A randomized trial of 39,876 healthy women aged 45+ given 100 mg aspirin on alternate days for 10 years recorded 477 versus 522 major cardiovascular events vs. placebo, a nonsignificant overall reduction [9]. In 36,282 WHI postmenopausal women aged 50-79 randomized to 1000 mg calcium with 400 IU vitamin D3 daily or placebo, hip bone density was 1.06% higher in the supplementation arm over 7 years of follow-up [10].
Recent publications
- The 2011 Report on Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D from the Institute of Medicine: What Clinicians Need to KnowDOI
- Diet, Lifestyle, and the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in WomenDOI
- Body-mass index and all-cause mortality: individual-participant-data meta-analysis of 239 prospective studies in four continentsDOI
- Lack of Effect of Long-Term Supplementation with Beta Carotene on the Incidence of Malignant Neoplasms and Cardiovascular DiseaseDOI
- Vitamin E Consumption and the Risk of Coronary Disease in WomenDOI
- Estrogen plus Progestin and the Risk of Coronary Heart DiseaseDOI
- Postmenopausal Estrogen Therapy and Cardiovascular DiseaseDOI
- Body Weight and Mortality among WomenDOI
- A Randomized Trial of Low-Dose Aspirin in the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in WomenDOI
- Calcium plus Vitamin D Supplementation and the Risk of FracturesDOI
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External profiles
- ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9426-7595
- OpenAlex: openalex.org
Profile compiled from public sources (Researchmap, OpenAlex, Osaka University faculty directory). Last refreshed 2026-05. Report incorrect information.