# Effects of Vitamin D and Omega 3 Fatty Acids on Incidence Rate of Heart Failure

> **NIH NIH R01** · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · 2020 · $721,138

## Abstract

Abstract
Heart failure (HF) expenditure amounts to several billion per year. Despite advances in medical treatment of
HF, mortality after HF onset and rate of recurrent HF decompensation remain high, underscoring an urgent
need to identify effective prevention strategies. Observational studies showed a higher risk of death in HF
patients with lower levels of vitamin D and two recent post-hoc analyses of trials conducted in mostly post-
menopausal women reported a reduction in HF rates in the vitamin D group compared with placebo. Vitamin D
has also been reported to improve hemodynamics and left ventricular remodeling in 229 HF patients. However,
no randomized trial has examined the effects of vitamin D on primary prevention of HF or on the rate of
recurrent HF decompensation in men and women. Efficacy of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on cardiovascular events has been reported in trials with low prevalence of stain
use only. EPA/DHA can reduce risk factors for HF including myocardial infarction, hypertension, and diabetes.
While some but not all observational studies have suggested an inverse association between EPA/DHA and
the incidence of HF, no large primary prevention trial of EPA/DHA on HF has been conducted. In addition,
effect modification of the effects of EPA/DHA on HF by statin has not been elucidated. This project will
investigate the effects of vitamin D and EPA/DHA supplements on the incidence rate of HF and on recurrent
HF decompensation in an ancillary study of the VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL), an NIH-funded
randomized controlled trial of 25,874 men and women testing the efficacy of 2,000 IU/day cholecalciferol and 1
g/day EPA/DHA on cardiovascular disease and cancer endpoints.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9900041
- **Project number:** 5R01HL131687-04
- **Recipient organization:** BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** LUC DJOUSSE
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $721,138
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-04-01 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9900041

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9900041, Effects of Vitamin D and Omega 3 Fatty Acids on Incidence Rate of Heart Failure (5R01HL131687-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9900041. Licensed CC0.

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