Participants in this study will be randomized to receive either oral vitamin D pills OR ultraviolet light treatment. The investigators will compare how these two methods of raising vitamin D levels will affect cholesterol levels.
Potential subjects will be screened for eligibility, including serum 25(OH)D levels \<20ng/ml. Eligible subjects will be randomly assigned to receive either: 1) oral vitamin D3, 50,000 units weekly for 8 weeks or 2) narrow-band UVB radiation, 2 treatments/wk for 8 weeks. Duration of treatment will be based on skin type. After 8 weeks, 25(OH)D levels will be measured monthly. For participants with levels \<35 ng/ml, additional doses of oral vitamin D3 or UV radiation will be administered. A subset of participants from both groups will participate in a skin biopsy cohort, where skin biopsies are obtained before and after 8 weeks of treatment.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
118
50,000 units orally, each week x8 weeks; supplemental doses of 50,000 units orally, each month thereafter as needed
16 treatments, 2-3 times weekly over 8 weeks; initial dose 45-75 seconds, whole-body exposure except face and groin, increasing by 10% as tolerated, to a maximum of 4.5 minutes
The Rockefeller University
New York, New York, United States
Change in LDL Cholesterol Level
Time frame: baseline and 6 months or last observation carried forward (minimum 2 months)
Change in Total Cholesterol
Change in Total Cholesterol
Time frame: baseline and 6 months or last observation carried forward (minimum 2 months)
Change in HDL Cholesterol
Time frame: baseline and 6 months or last observation carried forward (minimum 2 months)
Change in Triglycerides
Time frame: baseline 6 months or last observation carried forward (minimum 2 months)
Change in C Reactive Protein
Time frame: baseline and 6 months
Change in 25(OH)D
Time frame: baseline vs. 6 months
Change in Serum Calcium
Time frame: baseline vs. 6 months
Change in Parathyroid Hormone (PTH)
Time frame: baseline vs.6 months
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