RESEARCH - Vitamin D intake and risks of SLE and RA in women

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Ann Rheum Dis. Published Online First: 31 July 2007.

doi:10.1136/ard.2007.072736

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Extended Report

Vitamin D intake and risks of systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid

arthritis in women

H Costenbader 1*, Diane Feskanich 2, Benito- 3,

Holmes 4 and Karlson 5

1 Brigham and Women's Hospital; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard

Medical School, United States

2 Channing laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, United States

3 BioEpi Research Center, Oeiras, Portugal

4 Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, United States

5 Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States

Abstract

Objectives: Vitamin D has immune-modulating effects and may protect against

the development of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and Rheumatoid

Arthritis (RA).

Methods: We identified incident cases of SLE and RA among 186,389 women

followed from 1980-2002 in the Nurses' Health Study and Nurses' Health Study

II cohorts. We excluded subjects with non-confirmed SLE or RA by medical

record review, and those who failed to return questionnaires.

Semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires assessed vitamin D intake

from food and supplements. We used cumulative-updated total energy-adjusted

dietary exposures for each two year cycle. Relationships between vitamin D

intake and incident SLE and RA were examined in age-adjusted and

proportional hazards models, adjusted for confounders. Results were pooled

using meta-analysis random effects models.

Results: We confirmed 190 incident cases of SLE and 722 of RA with dietary

information. Increasing levels of vitamin D intake had no relationship to

the relative risk of developing either SLE or RA.

Conclusions: Vitamin D was not associated with risk of SLE or RA in these

large prospective cohorts of women.

http://ard.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/ard.2007.072736v1?papetoc

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