Vitamin D – Medical Nutrition Information

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient with a range of benefits—as well as risks. But in this new meta-analysis, which included 21 randomized clinical trials and nearly 83,300 patients, investigators determined that vitamin D supplementation isn’t linked to lower risks for major adverse cardiac events such as heart attack, stroke, CVD mortality, and all-cause mortality.“The findings suggest that vitamin D supplementation does not confer cardiovascular protection and is not indicated for this purpose,” the authors concluded.

However, “it also should be emphasized that vitamin D therapy in patients with chronic kidney disease and hyperparathyroidism is definitely indicated, and such therapy has established cardiovascular benefits, including blood pressure reduction, reduced electrolyte derangements, and overall reduced cardiovascular mortality rates in patients on hemodialysis,” wrote authors in a related commentary in JAMA Cardiology

Perhaps we don’t yet know everything there is to know about vitamin D. To that end, here are some of the top vitamin D-related reports from 2019

In previous studies, researchers have found that people with low levels of vitamin D have a high risk for type 2 diabetes. So, in a recent trial—the largest of its kind—investigators tested whether vitamin D supplementation would help patients already at high risk for developing diabetes. Participants took 4,000 IU of vitamin D per day—the upper limit of the recommended intake. But, in the end, they didn’t have any less risk for developing diabetes than those in the placebo group.

Vitamin D, if taken for at least 3 years, could help people with cancer live longer, according to researchers who presented their findings at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting on June 3, 2019. From this analysis, the researchers concluded that vitamin D was associated with a significant reduction in cancer-related mortality compared with placebo.

Although taking vitamin D supplements may extend survival (as described above), it doesn’t lower cancer risk, according to results of the largest-ever clinical trial to assess vitamin D for cancer prevention.

If sunscreen can reduce the sun’s harmful effects on the skin, does it also inhibit the body’s production of vitamin D? To find out, investigators went to sunny Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands, to put different sunscreens to the test. Their findings indicated that sunscreen protected the skin from sunburn without compromising vitamin D levels.

Sunlight is the main source of vitamin D. Sunscreens can prevent sunburn and skin cancer, but there has been a lot of uncertainty about the effects of sunscreens on vitamin D,” said the study’s lead author. The  study showed that sunscreens, even when used optimally to prevent sunburn, allowed excellent vitamin D synthesis.

We all need vitamin D. It helps build and maintain healthy bones and teeth. Without enough vitamin D, you’d develop osteomalacia—more commonly known as rickets. The recommended daily amount of vitamin D for the average adult is 600 IU.

While it’s essential to get enough vitamin D, too much can also cause problems. Overweight or obese older women who took more than three times the recommended daily dose of vitamin D showed an improvement in memory and learning. However, these women also had slower reaction times, which may have increased their fall risk.

High  levels of calcium in the blood can result in significant kidney damage. Although vitamin D toxicity is rare owing to a large therapeutic range, its widespread availability in various over-the-counter formulations may pose a substantial risk.

Vitamin D is primarily known to help bone health and for its role in calcium-phosphorous homeostasis—but results of a recent study showed it may also improve erectile dysfunction (ED). The researchers reported that men who received vitamin D supplements showed increased testosterone levels and improved erectile function.