According to a latest research, there is no benefit of taking Vitamin D supplements. Many people have been popping Vitamin D pills for a long time hoping to gain protection from cardiovascular problems, cancer or bone problems if they do not show any predisposed deficiency of Vitamin D. If people are exposed to sunlight, they are able to gain Vitamin D naturally. How much Vitamin D is produced depends on factors like what time of the day they are exposed to the sunlight, what time of the year it is, type of skin and geography. Moreover, this Vitamin is also available in food products like fatty fish, beef liver, egg yolks, cheese, grain products, fortified dairy products, etc.
New research in this field shows that there is no validation of taking Vitamin D supplements in case of healthy people just to avoid fractures, stroke, heart attack or cancer if they are not suffering from the deficiency of Vitamin D. As per Dr Mark Bollard, lead author of the study in University of Auckland, popping supplements of Vitamin D as a preventive measure can be considered as a controversial step. A study was conducted in New Zealand where 44 reports were attained by researchers from forty distinct random and controlled trials. These trials went on for more than a year. Majority of participants were women falling in an age group of 70-80 years.
After thorough examination of the data thus collected, the study concluded that a distinct focus was required in the research. According to this study the focus of the study must be on cut-off points based on evidence and its progress for Vitamin D′s inadequate amounts. It has been seen that in cases of Vitamin D deficiency, people may suffer from problems like pain in bone, weakness in muscles and increased death probability due to cancer. It may also lead to cognitive impairment in seniors and heart disease. The study showed that there were chances that the risk of hip fractures increased in all those people who were taking Vitamin D supplements.
This study and its findings certainly call upon a lot of debate and discussions related to the merit if taking Vitamin D supplements. Thus, popping these supplements without knowing whether one is deficient in Vitamin D or not, may prove to be harmful. Researchers also carried out a futility analysis to examine the chances of future studies presenting enough proof or evidence to overturn these findings. As part of this analysis, they came to the conclusion that any study conducted in this field in future may not bring about any alteration in findings. At the same time, another study conducted on Parkinson′s disease showed that Vitamin D plays a major role in the Central Nervous System. Taking this supplement may delay the discovery of initial symptoms related with depression or cognitive development. Thus, these supplements must be taken after thorough examination and tests by a physician.