VITAL Rhythm Study

NCT ID: NCT02178410

Last Updated: 2025-10-07

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

PHASE3

Total Enrollment

25119 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2012-10-31

Study Completion Date

2026-10-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL) is an ongoing randomized clinical trial of 25,871 U.S. men and women investigating whether taking daily dietary supplements of vitamin D3 (2000 IU) or omega-3 fatty acids (Omacor® fish oil, 1 gram) reduces the risk of developing cancer, heart disease, and stroke in individuals who do not have a prior history of these illnesses. The purpose of this ancillary study is to ascertain and adjudicate atrial fibrillation (AF) outcomes for the primary aim of testing whether omega-3 fatty acid and/or vitamin D supplementation influence atrial fibrillation risk in the general population. We also plan to examine how these agents might impact the development of AF subtypes (persistent versus paroxysmal), intermediate phenotypes for heart rhythm disorders (electrocardiographic parameters), as well as explore effects on arrhythmic death and whether baseline blood levels and/or race modify treatment effects.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Atrial fibrillation and sudden cardiac death assessments, as well as blood analyses, will be conducted on the entire VITAL Study population, and ECG analyses will be limited to the Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) sub-cohort of 1,054 VITAL participants who live near the Boston area and agree to participate in a series of ancillary studies in addition to the main trial.

Investigators will ascertain atrial fibrillation events utilizing self-report of physician diagnoses of atrial fibrillation received on annual questionnaires from study participants supplemented by outpatient and hospital visits for AF identified through Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) data linkage. Investigators will also ascertain additional information regarding atrial fibrillation diagnosis from supplementary questionnaires, and seek consent to review all inpatient and outpatient hospital records pertaining to atrial fibrillation diagnosis and evaluation. Atrial fibrillation events will be confirmed by an endpoint committee composed of cardiologists, which will also make a determination on atrial fibrillation subtype and pattern. Questionnaires that inquire about recurrent atrial fibrillation events, pattern of AF, latest medical record evaluation and treatments for AF will be sent to participants with confirmed atrial fibrillation. Medical records will be requested and reviewed an endpoint committee to determine atrial fibrillation subtype and progression. An intention-to-treat analysis examining the 5-year treatment effects of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D on incident atrial fibrillation, as well as subtypes at the time of diagnosis will be performed to address the primary aims. We will repeat these analyses at the end of extended follow-up to assess cumulative and post-treatment effects of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D and AF subtypes two years after diagnosis.

Electrocardiograms will be obtained at baseline and again after two years of treatment and follow-up among a sub-cohort of 1,054 patients being enrolled in VITAL at the CTSC. Investigators will utilize these ECG data to evaluate whether treatment with omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D3 have significant effects on ECG measures. The ECGs will also be utilized to estimate the prevalence of asymptomatic persistent atrial fibrillation in our population not detected by our atrial fibrillation surveillance methods.

Investigators will examine baseline blood samples for participants with confirmed atrial fibrillation for the purpose of exploring whether the effect of vitamin D3 or fish oil supplementation on atrial fibrillation risk varies by the baseline blood levels of these nutrients.

Investigators will also seek additional information necessary to classify deaths as sudden or arrhythmic in origin, and cardiac deaths will be reviewed by an endpoint committee of cardiologists. Once these results have been compiled investigators will explore whether omega-3 fatty acids and/or vitamin D might have an effect on sudden and/or arrhythmic cardiac death.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Cardiovascular Disease

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

FACTORIAL

Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

TRIPLE

Participants Investigators Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Vitamin D + fish oil

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Vitamin D3

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), 2000 IU per day.

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil)

Intervention Type DRUG

Omacor, 1 capsule per day. Each capsule of Omacor contains 840 milligrams of marine omega-3 fatty acids (465 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid \[EPA\] and 375 mg of docosahexaenoic acid \[DHA\]).

Vitamin D + fish oil placebo

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Vitamin D3

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), 2000 IU per day.

Fish oil placebo

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Fish oil placebo

Vitamin D placebo + fish oil

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil)

Intervention Type DRUG

Omacor, 1 capsule per day. Each capsule of Omacor contains 840 milligrams of marine omega-3 fatty acids (465 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid \[EPA\] and 375 mg of docosahexaenoic acid \[DHA\]).

Vitamin D3 placebo

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Vitamin D3 placebo

Vitamin D placebo + fish oil placebo

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Fish oil placebo

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Fish oil placebo

Vitamin D3 placebo

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Vitamin D3 placebo

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Vitamin D3

Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), 2000 IU per day.

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil)

Omacor, 1 capsule per day. Each capsule of Omacor contains 840 milligrams of marine omega-3 fatty acids (465 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid \[EPA\] and 375 mg of docosahexaenoic acid \[DHA\]).

Intervention Type DRUG

Fish oil placebo

Fish oil placebo

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Vitamin D3 placebo

Vitamin D3 placebo

Intervention Type DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Other Intervention Names

Discover alternative or legacy names that may be used to describe the listed interventions across different sources.

cholecalciferol

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

\- physician diagnosis of atrial fibrillation after randomization

and/or

\- cardiovascular death

Exclusion Criteria

\- physician diagnosis of atrial fibrillation prior to randomization
Minimum Eligible Age

50 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Brigham and Women's Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Christine M. Albert, MD, MPH

Principle Investigator

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Christine M. Albert, M.D., M.P.H.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United States

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Qian F, Tintle N, Jensen PN, Lemaitre RN, Imamura F, Feldreich TR, Nomura SO, Guan W, Laguzzi F, Kim E, Virtanen JK, Steur M, Bork CS, Hirakawa Y, O'Donoghue ML, Sala-Vila A, Ardisson Korat AV, Sun Q, Rimm EB, Psaty BM, Heckbert SR, Forouhi NG, Wareham NJ, Marklund M, Riserus U, Lind L, Arnlov J, Garg P, Tsai MY, Pankow J, Misialek JR, Gigante B, Leander K, Pester JA, Albert CM, Kavousi M, Ikram A, Voortman T, Schmidt EB, Ninomiya T, Morrow DA, Bayes-Genis A, O'Keefe JH, Ong KL, Wu JHY, Mozaffarian D, Harris WS, Siscovick DS; Fatty Acids and Outcomes Research Consortium (FORCE). Omega-3 Fatty Acid Biomarkers and Incident Atrial Fibrillation. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2023 Jul 25;82(4):336-349. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2023.05.024.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 37468189 (View on PubMed)

Gencer B, Djousse L, Al-Ramady OT, Cook NR, Manson JE, Albert CM. Effect of Long-Term Marine ɷ-3 Fatty Acids Supplementation on the Risk of Atrial Fibrillation in Randomized Controlled Trials of Cardiovascular Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Circulation. 2021 Dec 21;144(25):1981-1990. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.055654. Epub 2021 Oct 6.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 34612056 (View on PubMed)

Middeldorp ME, Sandhu RK, Mao J, Gencer B, Danik JS, Moorthy V, Cook NR, Albert CM. Risk Factors for the Development of New-Onset Persistent Atrial Fibrillation: Subanalysis of the VITAL Study. Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol. 2023 Dec;16(12):651-662. doi: 10.1161/CIRCEP.123.012334. Epub 2023 Nov 29.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 38018439 (View on PubMed)

Siddiqi HK, Vinayagamoorthy M, Gencer B, Ng C, Pester J, Cook NR, Lee IM, Buring J, Manson JE, Albert CM. Sex Differences in Atrial Fibrillation Risk: The VITAL Rhythm Study. JAMA Cardiol. 2022 Oct 1;7(10):1027-1035. doi: 10.1001/jamacardio.2022.2825.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 36044209 (View on PubMed)

Albert CM, Cook NR, Pester J, Moorthy MV, Ridge C, Danik JS, Gencer B, Siddiqi HK, Ng C, Gibson H, Mora S, Buring JE, Manson JE. Effect of Marine Omega-3 Fatty Acid and Vitamin D Supplementation on Incident Atrial Fibrillation: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2021 Mar 16;325(11):1061-1073. doi: 10.1001/jama.2021.1489.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 33724323 (View on PubMed)

Tikkanen JT, Soliman EZ, Pester J, Danik JS, Gomelskya N, Copeland T, Lee IM, Buring JE, Manson JE, Cook NR, Albert CM. A randomized clinical trial of omega-3 fatty acid and vitamin D supplementation on electrocardiographic risk profiles. Sci Rep. 2023 Jul 15;13(1):11454. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-38344-x.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 37454148 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

Access external resources that provide additional context or updates about the study.

http://www.vitalstudy.org/

Welcome to the VITAL Study website

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

R01HL116690

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

2012P002146

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

More Related Trials

Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.

LungVITamin D and OmegA-3 Trial (lungVITAL)
NCT01728571 ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING NA