Comment On: Clinical Trial: Vitamin D3 Treatment in Crohn's Disease: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled...

Vitamin D has immune-regulatory functions in experimental colitis, and low vitamin D levels are present in Crohn's disease.

We performed a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial to assess the benefits of oral vitamin D3 treatment in Crohn's disease. We included 108 patients with Crohn's disease in remission, of which fourteen were excluded later. Patients were randomized to receive either 1200 IU vitamin D3 (n = 46) or placebo (n = 48) once daily during 12 months. The primary endpoint was clinical relapse.

Oral vitamin D3 treatment with 1200 IU daily increased serum 25OHD from a mean of 69 nmol/L [standard deviation (s.d.) 31 nmol/L] to a mean of 96 nmol/L (s.d. 27 nmol/L) after 3 months (P < 0.001). The relapse rate was lower among patients treated with vitamin D3 (6/46 or 13%) among patients treated with placebo (14/48 or 29%), (P = 0.06).

Oral supplementation with 1200 IE vitamin D3 significantly increased serum vitamin D levels and insignificantly reduced the risk of relapse from 29% to 13%, (P = 0.06). Given that vitamin D3 treatment might be effective in Crohn's disease, larger studies are required in order to elucidate this matter further. (Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2010;32:377-383.).