Why Most Healthy People May Not Need Vitamin D Supplements, According to a New Study

More research suggests it’s time to abandon the craze over vitamin D. Taking high doses of “the sunshine vitamin” doesn’t reduce the risk of broken bones in generally healthy older Americans, researchers reported Wednesday. It’s the latest in a string of disappointments about a nutrient once hoped to have wide-ranging protective effects. That same study of nearly 26,000 people already had found that popping lots of vitamin D pills didn’t prevent heart disease, cancer or memory loss either. And while getting enough vitamin D is important for strong bones, “more is not better,” said Dr. Meryl LeBoff of Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the study’s lead author. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] An estimated third of Americans 60 and older take the supplements and more than 10 million blood tests for vitamin D levels are performed annually—despite years of controversy over whether the average older adult needs either. The newest findings—added to other trials with similar results—should end that debate, wrote Drs. Steven Cummings of California Pacific Medical Center and Clifford Rosen of Maine Medical Center Research Institute in a commentary in the medical journal. “People should stop taking vitamin D supplements to prevent major diseases”—and doctors should stop the routine screenings that fuel concern, the pair concluded. They weren’t involved in the late...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate Research wire Source Type: news