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Vitamin D Supplements Waste of Money?

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
NPR.org
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

An analysis of 40 studies on whether Vitamin D supplements reduce risk for major diseases concludes that there is little evidence they have significant effects, according to a study published in an online affiliate of The Lancet.

The results, summarized online byNews at JAMA, call into question not only governments' spending on further research but also the public's faith in Vitamin D supplements' ability to prevent diseases.

Given the "probable futility" of additional trials, research should probably turn to other subjects, according to the research team from University of Auckland.

But will consumers get the message? An editorial that accompanied the study noted that U.S. consumers' spending on the products rose from  $24 million in 2002 to $605 million in 2011. The author, Dr. Karl Michaëlsson of Uppsala University in Sweden, noted that it's not just a matter of money: High-dose Vitamin D supplements have been associated with increased risk of fractures and falls, he wrote.

Originally founded in December 2006 as an independent grassroots publication dedicated to coverage of health issues in Florida, Health News Florida was acquired by WUSF Public Media in September 2012.