Effects of vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and a simple home strength exercise program on fall prevention: the DO-HEALTH randomized clinical trial

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#accidental-falls #aged #aged-80-and-over #dietary-supplements #double-blind-method

Effects of vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and a simple home strength exercise program on fall prevention: the DO-HEALTH randomized clinical trial

Bischoff-Ferrari et al., 2022 | Am J Clin Nutr | Rct

Citation

Bischoff-Ferrari Heike A, Freystätter Gregor, ... Wieczorek Maud. Effects of vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and a simple home strength exercise program on fall prevention: the DO-HEALTH randomized clinical trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2022-May-01;115(5):1311-1321. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqac022

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The roles of vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and home exercise on fall prevention among generally healthy and active older adults are unclear. OBJECTIVES: We tested the effects of daily supplemental vitamin D, daily supplemental marine omega-3s fatty acids, and a simple home exercise program (SHEP), alone or in combination, on the incidences of total and injurious falls among generally healthy older adults. METHODS: We performed a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial-design randomized controlled trial among 2157 community-dwelling adults aged 70 years and older, who had no major health events in the 5 years prior to enrolment, recruited from Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, and Portugal between December 2012 and November 2014. Participants were randomly assigned to supplementation with 2000 international units/day of vitamin D3 and/or 1 g/day of marine omega-3s, and/or a SHEP compared with placebo and/or control exercise over 3 years. The primary endpoint for the present fall analysis was the incidence rate of total falls. Falls were recorded prospectively throughout the trial. Since there were no interactions between treatments, the main effects are reported based on a modified intent-to-treat analysis. RESULTS: Of 2157 randomized participants, 1900 (88%) completed the study. The mean age was 74.9 years, 61.7% were women, 40.7% had a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration < 20 ng/ml, and 83% were at least moderately physically active. In total, 3333 falls were recorded over a median follow-up of 2.99 years. Overall, vitamin D and the SHEP had no benefit on total falls, whilst supplementation with omega-3s compared to no omega-3 supplementation reduced total falls by 10% (incidence rate ratio = 0.90; 95% CI, 0.81-1.00; P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Among generally healthy, active, and vitamin D-replete older adults, omega-3 supplementation may have a modest benefit on the incidence of total falls, whilst a daily high dose of vitamin D or a SHEP had no benefit.

Key Findings

Of 2157 randomized participants, 1900 (88%) completed the study. The mean age was 74.9 years, 61.7% were women, 40.7% had a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration < 20 ng/ml, and 83% were at least moderately physically active. In total, 3333 falls were recorded over a median follow-up of 2.99 years. Overall, vitamin D and the SHEP had no benefit on total falls, whilst supplementation with omega-3s compared to no omega-3 supplementation reduced total falls by 10% (incidence rate ratio = 0.90; 95

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size See abstract
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Accidental Falls
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Dietary Supplements
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Exercise Therapy
  • Fatty Acids, Omega-3
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Vitamin D
  • Vitamins

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Rct
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Vertical: vitamin-d-falls

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09