Extra dose of Vitamin D ‘does not help bone strength’
THERE IS little justification in using vitamin D supplements to maintain or improve musculoskeletal health, scientists have suggested.
Researchers said taking the supplement would only be useful for high risk groups who want to prevent rare conditions such as rickets and osteomalacia, which can occur due to vitamin D deficiency.
The study, in the
journal, also found no differences in the effects of higher versus lower doses of vitamin D.
Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, which are needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy.
The Department of Health currently recommends that all children under five should take a daily supplement, along with pregnant and breastfeeding women, and older people who are not often outdoors – for instance if they are frail, housebound or live in a care home.
It suggests other adults should take a supplement during the autumn and winter, when they are less likely to get sunlight on their skin. Between late March/early April to the end of September, most people can get all the vitamin D they need through sunlight and a balanced diet.
The study authors said clinical guidelines that recommend vitamin D supplementation for bone health should be changed to reflect the best available evidence.
Lead author Dr Mark Bolland, of the University of Auckland, New Zealand, said: “Our metaanalysis finds that vitamin D does not prevent fractures, falls or improve bone mineral density, whether at high or low dose.”