A recent research study out of the University of Alberta is concluding that there is little to no effect from taking daily vitamin D supplements.
Dr. Michael Allan, a professor of Family Medicine at the university, headed the study. His team examined over 1,600 studies, looking at the main believed health benefits and found that supplementing does almost nothing. Here are the closing remarks from the study, Vitamin D: A Narrative Review Examining the Evidence for Ten Beliefs.
Much of the evidence is at high risk of bias, with multiple flaws, including analyses of secondary endpoints, small and underpowered studies, inconsistent results and numerous other issues. Therefore, enthusiasm for a vitamin D panacea should be tempered.
The study found the only benefit of the supplement was minimizing the risk of falls, and even then it was found to be such a small difference you’d need to take the supplement every day for 10 years to see a difference.
It’s important to know that the study looks at vitamin D supplements, and the faults in the studies that claim benefits from these supplements. It doesn’t take into account the benefits of getting vitamin D from the sun or through food.
The sun is a healthier, better source of this vitamin, but it is near impossible to get enough vitamin D during the dead of winter. So is Dr. Allan suggesting we don’t need vitamin D all year round? The study implies that you don’t.
So is Dr. Allan right? Is there any real benefit from supplementing vitamin D?
Let us know what you think in the comments below.
You can read more about the health benefits of vitamin D here.
