Vitamin D and Fish Oil for Autoimmune Disease, Inflammation and Knee Pain (VITAL)

September 16, 2022 updated by: Karen H. Costenbader, Brigham and Women's Hospital
The VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL; NCT 01169259) is a randomized clinical trial in 25,871 U.S. men and women investigating whether taking daily dietary supplements of vitamin D3 (2000 IU) or omega-3 fatty acids (Omacor® fish oil, 1 gram) reduces the risk of developing cancer, heart disease, and stroke in people who do not have a prior history of these illnesses. This ancillary study is being conducted among VITAL participants and will examine whether vitamin D or fish oil have effects upon A) autoimmune disease incidence, B) biomarkers of systemic inflammation, and C) chronic knee pain. Blood samples at baseline and in follow-up will be collected in a randomly selected subcohort of 1500 individuals and analyzed for changes in biomarkers of systemic inflammation: C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-receptor 2. Approximately 1300 individuals with chronic, frequent knee pain will be followed with annual questionnaires to evaluate the effects of the supplements on chronic knee pain.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

25871

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
        • Brigham and Women's Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

50 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

As for the parent trial, VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL; NCT 01169259). Individuals with chronic, frequent knee pain at study baseline will be followed as a subcohort. Trial enrollment complete.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Fish Oil
Subjects will receive marine omega-3 fatty acids (465 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and 375 mg of docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]).
Drug: Fish Oil
Subjects will receive marine omega-3 fatty acids (465 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and 375 mg of docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]).
Other Names:
  • eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
  • docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
  • marine fatty acids
  • omega-3 fatty acids
  • fish oils
Other: placebo pill
placebo
Experimental: Vitamin D
Subjects will receive vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) 2000 IU a day.
Other: placebo pill
placebo
Dietary supplement: Vitamin D
Subjects will receive vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) 2000 IU a day.
Other Names:
  • cholecalciferol
  • vitamin D3
Placebo Comparator: placebo
Subjects will receive placebo pill.
Other: placebo pill
placebo
Experimental: Vitamin D and Fish Oil
Subjects will receive marine omega-3 fatty acids (465 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and 375 mg of docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]).
Drug: Fish Oil
Subjects will receive marine omega-3 fatty acids (465 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and 375 mg of docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]).
Other Names:
  • eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
  • docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
  • marine fatty acids
  • omega-3 fatty acids
  • fish oils
Dietary supplement: Vitamin D
Subjects will receive vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) 2000 IU a day.
Other Names:
  • cholecalciferol
  • vitamin D3

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Serum Levels of Biomarkers of Systemic Inflammation: Interleukin-6 (IL-6)
Time Frame: Baseline and 1 year
In a subsample of the randomized trial population across the four arms, blood samples at baseline and in follow-up were collected and analyzed for changes in biomarkers of systemic inflammation: C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-receptor 2 (TNFR2). We tested whether either or both supplements were associated with a decrease in the biomarkers of systemic inflammation (blood biomarker levels among those receiving supplements vs. placebo). We also tested whether there were interactions between the two supplements in their effects on changes in the IL-6 serum biomarker of systemic inflammation.
Baseline and 1 year
Serum Levels of Biomarkers of Systemic Inflammation: C-reactive Protein (CRP)
Time Frame: Baseline and 1 year
In a subsample of the randomized trial population across the four arms, blood samples at baseline and in follow-up were collected and analyzed for changes in biomarkers of systemic inflammation: C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-receptor 2 (TNFR2). We tested whether either or both supplements were associated with a decrease in the biomarkers of systemic inflammation (blood biomarker levels among those receiving supplements vs. placebo). We also tested whether there were interactions between the two supplements in their effects on changes in the CRP serum biomarker of systemic inflammation.
Baseline and 1 year
Serum Levels of Biomarkers of Systemic Inflammation: Tumor Necrosis Factor-receptor 2 (TNFR2)
Time Frame: Baseline and 1 year
In a subsample of the randomized trial population across the four arms, blood samples at baseline and in follow-up were collected and analyzed for changes in biomarkers of systemic inflammation: C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-receptor 2 (TNFR2). We tested whether either or both supplements were associated with a decrease in the biomarkers of systemic inflammation (blood biomarker levels among those receiving supplements vs. placebo). We also tested whether there were interactions between the two supplements in their effects on changes in the TNFR2 serum biomarker of systemic inflammation.
Baseline and 1 year
Incident Autoimmune Diseases
Time Frame: 5 years

All participants were followed for the development of new autoimmune diseases, including, but not limited to, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, autoimmune thyroid disease, inflammatory bowel disease and polymyalgia rheumatica. The primary endpoint was all incident autoimmune disease confirmed by extensive medical record review. Participants self-reported all incident autoimmune diseases from baseline through follow-up. We used Cox proportional hazards models to test the effects of vitamin D and n-3 fatty acids upon autoimmune disease incidence.

We compared the separate main effects of vitamin D or n-3 fatty acid supplement assignment on AD incidence using Cox regression models. To account for randomization stratification and study design, we additionally adjusted for age, sex, self-reported race, and randomization to the other supplement. Person-time was counted until diagnosis of a new confirmed AD, death, or the end of the trial. We also test interactions between the two supplements
5 years
Severity of Knee Pain in Subsample With Chronic, Frequent Knee Pain at Baseline- With n-3 FA & Vitamin D
Time Frame: Baseline and 5 years

Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) Pain was the primary outcome on a scale of 0-100 with 100= worst pain.

Subsample of VITAL participants with chronic, frequent knee pain at trial baseline were followed with annual WOMAC questionnaires to test for change in severity of chronic knee pain in those taking Omega-3 fish oil (n-3 FA) supplements compared to those taking placebo and for those taking Vitamin D supplements compared to those taking placebo. We tested whether n-3 FA supplements and Vitamin D are associated with reduced levels of WOMAC knee pain at the end of the trial (comparing knee pain outcomes in those receiving supplements to placebo). We will also test whether there were multiplicative interactions between the two supplements for the outcome of knee pain severity by WOMAC-Pain index
Baseline and 5 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Incident Autoimmune Disease
Time Frame: extension of follow-up through 7 years post trial closure
Development of new autoimmune disease through observational follow-up after trial termination.
extension of follow-up through 7 years post trial closure

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Collaborators

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Karen H Costenbader, MD, MPH, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

July 1, 2010

Primary Completion (Actual)

November 10, 2018

Study Completion (Anticipated)

February 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 4, 2011

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 10, 2011

First Posted (Estimate)

May 11, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

October 13, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 16, 2022

Last Verified

September 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • R01AR059086 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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