Response to Letter Regarding Article, “The Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Physical Function and Quality of Life in Older Heart Failure Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial”

We thank Begg, Cleland, and Witte for their interest in our article and for their comments that further the debate on the role of vitamin D in vascular disease. As they correctly point out, we deliberately took a pragmatic approach to patient selection in this trial. Our patients are typical of most patients with heart failure1—they are old, have comorbid disease, and despite the relatively low frusemide doses used, they have severe functional impairment as evidenced by their low baseline 6-minute walk distances. Their heart failure treatment is not optimal; we deliberately enrolled typical older patients with heart failure, and …