A NEW randomised controlled trial from the University Clinical Centre of Kosova suggests that vitamin D supplementation could offer significant pain relief and disease activity reduction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
The double-blind study followed 100 RA patients over six months, comparing those given daily 4,000 IU of vitamin D with those who received no supplementation. All participants were already undergoing standard RA treatment.
Although initial laboratory assessments showed no significant baseline differences in inflammatory markers such as IL-6, IL-17, TNF, ESR, or CRP between the two groups, patients who received vitamin D reported notable improvements in pain and disease activity by the end of the trial.
Specifically, patients in the vitamin D group experienced significantly lower scores on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain and the Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS28), both key clinical measures in RA care (P < 0.0001 for both).
The authors conclude that vitamin D supplementation may serve as a valuable adjunctive therapy for RA patients, particularly for pain control and reducing disease burden. However, they caution that long-term studies are needed to confirm sustained benefit beyond the six-month window.
Reference
Rexhepi M et al. Impact of vitamin D supplementation on disease activity and pain management in rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized double-blinded controlled study. BMC Rheumatol. 2025;DOI: 10.1186/s41927-025-00543-6.
