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For years, marketers have promoted vitamin D as a weapon against everything from brittle bones to cancer — often citing one study or another to back up their claims.
But the real benefits of the vitamin are anything but clear, say authors of an “umbrella study” appearing in today’s British Medical Journal.
Researchers reviewed more than 260 previously published papers, including observational studies and clinical trials, about the possible benefits of vitamin D both in the diet and as an added supplement. The earlier research had focused on finding any role the vitamin played in preventing or mitigating 137 different conditions, including osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disorders.
D-bunked: Vitamin D's Benefits Are Overhyped, Study Says - D-brief | DiscoverMagazine.com
Bottom Line:
If you are measured to be vitamin D deficient or are a pregnant woman in your third trimester, there seems to be some benefit. For everyone else, it is not clear that supplementation does anything at all.
But the real benefits of the vitamin are anything but clear, say authors of an “umbrella study” appearing in today’s British Medical Journal.
Researchers reviewed more than 260 previously published papers, including observational studies and clinical trials, about the possible benefits of vitamin D both in the diet and as an added supplement. The earlier research had focused on finding any role the vitamin played in preventing or mitigating 137 different conditions, including osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disorders.
D-bunked: Vitamin D's Benefits Are Overhyped, Study Says - D-brief | DiscoverMagazine.com
Bottom Line:
If you are measured to be vitamin D deficient or are a pregnant woman in your third trimester, there seems to be some benefit. For everyone else, it is not clear that supplementation does anything at all.
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