Tim Chico, reader in cardiovascular medicine and consultant cardiologist of the University of Sheffield, who was not involved in the study, said this study adds to a large number of others that found disappointing or even harmful effects of vitamin supplementation on a range of diseases, including heart disease and cancer.

"I see a lot of patients who take vitamin supplements in the expectation that this will reduce their risk of disease, and unfortunately I have to tell them that the evidence suggests they are a waste of time and money," Chico said.

Professor Adrian Martineau of the Queen Mary University of London, said this trial does not rule out the possibility that vitamin D might have a role in reducing risk of cardiovascular disease if it were to be given in a different way or to a population with different characteristics.

"The bottom line is that the authors have conclusively shown that this dosing regimen of vitamin D, given to this population, did not prevent cardiovascular disease -- and this is an important null finding," Martineau said.

"However, these results do not rule out a protective effect of daily/weekly dosing in people with low vitamin D levels."