Vitamin D is good for the body but not in high doses.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — A study found that consumption of vitamin D in high doses does not reduce the risk of fracture in the generally healthy American elderly. These findings were released in New England Journal of Medicine.
Lead researcher Dr Meryl LeBoff of Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital said vitamin D supplements did not reduce the risk of hip or other bone fractures. However, LeBoff cautions that the study did not include people who may need supplements because of bone thinning osteoporosis, chronic vitamin D deficiency or other disorders.
“Getting vitamin D intake is important for strong bones, but in high doses it is not good,” said as quoted from Fox NewsSaturday (31/7/2022).
Another study involving nearly 26,000 people also revealed that high doses of vitamin D supplements did not prevent the risk of heart disease, cancer and memory loss. The study was led by the Head of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Dr JoAnn Manson.
He started a large study to track health outcomes in nearly 26,000 generally healthy Americans in their 50s or older. The results of this study compared the incidence of fractures in those who took high doses of 2000 international units of the most active form of vitamin D, called D-3 or dummy pills daily for five years.
“While vitamin D and calcium worked best together, the 20 percent of study participants who also took calcium supplements saw no benefit. So did a small number of study participants who had low blood levels of vitamin D,” he said.
An estimated one-third of Americans aged 60 years and over take supplements and more than 10 million blood tests for vitamin D levels are performed each year. Although for years there has always been controversy over whether the average old adult needs both.
“Recent findings put an end to that debate. You should stop taking vitamin D supplements to prevent chronic disease and your doctor should stop the routine checkups that cause concern,” wrote Drs Steven Cummings of the California Pacific Medical Center in commenting on the study.
How much vitamin D should you take? Experts recommend 600 to 800 international units a day to ensure that everyone young and old is getting an adequate intake of vitamin D. To meet it can be from exposure to sunlight, milk and certain other foods fortified with nutrients to help.
Taken together, these findings cast doubt on the value of routine screening for vitamin D blood levels and supplement recommendations. “Spending time outdoors, being physically active, and following a heart-healthy diet will result in greater health improvements for most people,” says Manson.
