Vitamin D For Statin-Induced Muscle Pain: Worth or Hype?

Vitamin D supplements are believed to ease the muscle aches of patients taking a statin, but a new study published in JAMA Cardiology shows that the vitamin appears to have no substantial impact.

About 30 to 35 million Americans are prescribed statins to lower cholesterol. Patients who take statins to lower high cholesterol levels often complain of muscle pains, which can stop them from taking the highly effective medication and put them at greater risk of heart attack or stroke.

Link between Statins and Vitamin D
Statins, the cholesterol-lowering medications, and vitamin D appear to complement each other’s effects.

‘Vitamin D had little impact on alleviating muscle pain in patients taking statins to lower high cholesterol levels.’

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Although non-randomized studies have reported vitamin D to be an effective treatment for statin-associated muscle symptoms, the new study, which is the first randomized clinical trial to look at the effect of vitamin D on statin-associated muscle symptoms, was large enough to rule out any important benefits.

Is Vitamin D Effective for Statin-Associated Muscle Symptoms?

In the randomized, double-blind trial, 2,083 participants ingested either 2,000 units of vitamin D supplements daily or a placebo. The study found participants in both categories were equally likely to develop muscle symptoms and discontinue statin therapy.

Over 4.8 years of follow-up, statin-related muscle pain was reported by 31% of the participants assigned vitamin D and 31% of the participants assigned a placebo.

Statins and vitamin D supplements are two of the most commonly used medications among American adults. About 30 to 35 million Americans are prescribed statins, and about half of the population, aged 60 and older take a vitamin D supplement.

Vitamin D Deficiency - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment
Vitamin D the sunshine vitamin is essential for strong bones. Vitamin D deficiency is reportedly increasing worldwide and cause bone pain and muscle weakness.

Researchers took advantage of a large placebo-controlled randomized trial to test whether vitamin D would reduce statin-associated muscle symptoms and encourage patients to keep taking their statins.

The placebo control in the study was important because if people think vitamin D is supposed to reduce their muscle pains, they just might feel better while taking it, even if vitamin D has no specific effect.

Vitamin D Supplementation Does Not Lower the Risk of COVID-19
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The 2,083 patients were among the larger cohort of participants in the Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial (VITAL), which randomized nearly 26,000 participants to double-blind vitamin D supplementation to determine whether it would prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer.

This provided researchers with a unique opportunity to test whether vitamin D reduces muscle symptoms among participants who initiated statins during the follow-up period of the larger VITAL trial. The mean age of the study participants was 67, and 51% were women.

Sunlight: An Important Source of Vitamin D
Vitamin D is an essential vitamin necessary for the development of bones. Sunlight helps the body to produce vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency results in rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.

Low levels of vitamin D are associated with many medical problems, but it turns out that giving people vitamin D does not generally fix those problems. For those who have difficulties with statins, a systematic appraisal by a physician who has experience in dealing with these matters can be helpful.

Source-Eurekalert