Enough observational studies—it’s time for doctors to recommend steps to raise their patients’ vitamin D levels. That’s the message in a provocative editorial published in Anesthesia & Analgesia.
There’s already enough evidence to justify increasing vitamin D levels to improve health, according to the opinion piece by Drs Michael F. Roizen of the Cleveland Clinic and Jeffrey D. Roizen of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Meanwhile, they propose a randomized trial to conclusively determine whether vitamin D can reduce complication rates after surgery.
Don’t Wait for Further Research—Act Now to Increase Vitamin D Levels
The father-and-son coauthors write in response to the latest research paper reporting linking higher vitamin D levels to better health outcomes. In that study—also published in Anesthesia & Analgesia—Dr Alparslan Turan and colleagues of the Cleveland Clinic found that surgical patients with higher vitamin D had lower rates of death and complications after surgery.
While the observational study shows significant associations, it can’t prove a cause-and-effect relationship. Dr Turan and coauthors suggest a cautious approach to further research, starting with more observational data on the relationship between preoperative vitamin D levels and postoperative outcomes.
