Despite recommendations from public health authorities for people to consume their vitamin D through pills rather than sun exposure, a new study casts doubt on the value of vitamin D supplements.
The randomized controlled trial assigned 230 postmenopausal women 75 years old or younger to get either high-dose vitamin D supplements (50,000 IU every two weeks), low-dose vitamin D supplements (800 IU daily) or placebo pills. All of the women had low levels of circulating vitamin D when they entered the study.
Vitamin D Supplements Had Little Impact:
After a year, the women getting the high dose of 100,000 IU each month had raised their blood levels of vitamin D. There were no measurable differences among the groups on anything that counts, though: bone density, muscle mass, muscle function and falls were the same in all the groups.
This study does not offer evidence supporting the use of vitamin D supplements for bone health or fall prevention in older women. Those are the key reasons many people take this vitamin, so it may be time to re-think that strategy.
