It should be no surprise that US government is conducting a major trial to find out whether Vitamin D and Omega 3 really work when it comes to heart disease and cancer. The study is one largest study’s on record consisting of 20,000 people, which will be over seen by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MS. Those who are eligible for the study are women aged 65 or older and men aged 60 or older and the participants are not to have any previous history of cancer, heart disease, or stroke. Blood will be collected in about 80% of the participants along with follow up collection of at least 2,000 of the people. VITAL is the name of the trial being conducted, which began in January of 2010 and will take a total 5 years to collect all of the data needed for a conclusive deduction and result. As there is a limited time of opportunity for the trial, there must be strong evidence to substantiate and justify the results for the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease.
The VITAL trial has promised to be cost effective because it will be largely conducted by mail. There will also be several biomarker and genetic studies done in order to evaluate gene variants
One of the biggest conclusions that have been reached is that a Vitamin D deficiency is known to be the cause of cardiovascular disease. Vitamin D has also been found to have protective effects when it comes to both bone and cardiovascular tissues. It has also been discovered that when using the supplement Omega-3 along with Vitamin D3 that it slows atherosclerotic plaque growth.
It has been suggested that Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins needed in the human body and it affects more than 2,000 genes and plays a very important role when it comes to the immune system function, mood and energy, cancer prevention and bone health. When it comes to Omega-3 oils, they can boost fat-burning, improve cholesterol profiles, reverse the resistance of insulin, and increase circulation. One of the best sources of Omega-3 oil is the old well-known stand by, cod liver oil, which is widely used in Scandinavian countries.
For the researchers of the VITAL trial, who are optimistic, it is hoped that Vitamin D and Omega-3 will help to reduce chronic disease. There have been other high hopes for other supplements as a preventive to diseases in the past but the hopes fell through with time. On a final note, this trial has already had some positive results and findings that make it well worth every bit of information that can be collected within the five year period.
