title: Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and overall mortality. A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To provide a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective, population-based cohort studies on the association of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and all-cause mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  Relevant studies were identified by systematically searching Medline, EMBASE and ISI Web of Knowledge. Reported hazard ratios (HRs) for 25(OH)D categories were recalculated employing comprehensive trend estimation from summarized dose-response data and pooled in a random effects model meta-analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 12 original studies were included in the review and meta-analysis comprising 32,142 mainly elderly study participants with measured 25(OH)D of whom 6921 died during follow-up. An inverse association between 25(OH)D levels and all-cause mortality was found in all but two studies that was statistically significant in several of the individual studies. In meta-analysis, 25(OH)D levels were significantly inversely associated with all-cause mortality with a pooled HR of 0.92 (95% confidence interval: 0.89-0.95) for a 20 nmol/l increase in 25(OH)D levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this meta-analysis of prospective, population-based cohort studies, a 20 nmol/l increase in 25(OH)D levels was associated with an 8% lower mortality in the general elderly population. This agrees with results from meta-analyses on randomized controlled trials that found a decrease in mortality with vitamin D3 supplementation of a comparable magnitude.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, German Cancer Research Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 581, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany. b.schoettker@dkfz.de
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schöttker
authors.forename: Dorothee
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ball
authors.forename: Carolin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gellert
authors.forename: Hermann
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Brenner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000401:mortality
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D