According to a new study, taking vitamin D does not reduce the risk of bone fracture in a healthy person.
Vitamin D performs many important functions in the body, one of which helps to absorb calcium, a vital mineral for strong and healthy bones. Now a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has shown that the bones of a healthy person do not become stronger from taking a vitamin D pill daily.
How did the research go?
Scientists from Harvard Medical School collected data from a pre-existing study called VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL (VITAL), which was originally intended to study cardiovascular and oncological outcomes.
This study involved more than 25,000 people who were followed for five years. The vast majority of participants had healthy vitamin D levels, and only 2.4% had levels low enough to be considered a serious deficiency.
In total, during the study, scientists registered 1991 fractures in 1551 participants. At the same time, additional intake of vitamin D3 (2000 IU / day) did not affect the number of broken bones compared to the placebo group.
Differences in age, gender, race, body mass index, baseline blood vitamin D levels, and calcium intake or vitamin D supplementation did not affect the results for better or worse.
However, the researchers note that the findings do not apply to people with vitamin D deficiency, low bone mass or osteoporosis. In these cases, supplements are necessary.