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The definitive test of whether vitamin D or fish-oil pills prevent cancer or heart disease in healthy adults. They did not.
25,871 participants (including 5,106 Black participants) followed for a median 5.3 years. Vitamin D did not reduce invasive cancer incidence (793 vs 824 events, HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.88-1.06) or major cardiovascular events (HR 0.97); omega-3 did not reduce cancer (HR 1.03) or major cardiovascular events (HR 0.92), though it reduced myocardial infarction in secondary analysis. Total cancer mortality with vitamin D was HR 0.83 (0.67-1.02) overall and HR 0.75 (0.59-0.96) after excluding the first two years, a pre-specified but secondary analysis. Later ancillary analyses reported fewer advanced (metastatic or fatal) cancers with vitamin D, concentrated in normal-weight participants. The trial ended the hope of broad cancer prevention with supplements while leaving a testable mortality hypothesis.
Numbers are from the trial as recorded here; see the source links in the table below. This is orientation, not medical advice: ask your team how closely the trial population matches you.
25,871 enrolled.
| Endpoint | Arm | n | Value | HR (95% CI) | p | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invasive cancer of any typeprimary | Vitamin D3 | 12,927 | 793 events | 0.96 (0.88 to 1.06) | 0.47 | link |
| Placebo | 12,944 | 824 events | ||||
| Invasive cancer of any typeprimary | Omega-3 | 12,933 | 820 events | 1.03 (0.93 to 1.13) | - | link |
| Placebo | 12,938 | 797 events |
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Shares Unproven diet claims (alkaline, juice, 'anti-cancer' diets), Misinformation and unproven therapies.
Shares Unproven diet claims (alkaline, juice, 'anti-cancer' diets), Diet, exercise and lifestyle roadmap: causes established → interventions that disappointed → exercise proven as treatment, Misinformation and unproven therapies, Failures are hidden.
Shares Unproven diet claims (alkaline, juice, 'anti-cancer' diets), Misinformation and unproven therapies.
Shares Hazard ratio (HR), Failures are hidden.
Shares Unproven diet claims (alkaline, juice, 'anti-cancer' diets), Misinformation and unproven therapies.