Tag Archives: osteoporosis

Is there value in taking a daily vitamin D supplement? A large study funded by the federal government and published last week in The New England Journal of Medicine came to a surprising and definitive conclusion: there is no benefit for most people.

This was true even for reducing the risk of bone fractures, which is the specific area the study was examining. My mother was diagnosed with osteoporosis and was instructed by her doctor to take calcium with vitamin D daily, along with a weekly dose of Fosamax. The new study found that vitamin D supplements did not significantly reduce the risk of bone fractures.

I’ve always been skeptical of vitamins and most supplements. I remember in my twenties going to the doctor for an annual exam and being lectured about “dangerously low” vitamin D levels. The doctor was surprised I was still functioning normally with such low vitamin D levels. The doctor wanted me to come in for weekly injections. I declined. I’ve continued to function just fine. The new study points out that labs in the U.S. set the normal vitamin D level at a value that would make most people appear to be deficient.

Fast forward a couple of decades, and I have been taking calcium plus vitamin D supplements for the past several years. I don’t take a multivitamin or other supplements except for a probiotic. But because of my mother’s osteoporosis diagnosis and the fact that I’m lactose intolerant so I try to moderate my dairy intake, I figured it was a reasonable supplement to add to my regimen.

There is another reason I will continue to take calcium plus vitamin D, even though I remain skeptical of the benefits. The researchers of the new study found that people with certain conditions, such as celiac disease and Crohn’s disease, do benefit from vitamin D supplements. I have the genetic markers for celiac disease, and consider myself an undiagnosed case though I never did the biopsy that is the gold standard for diagnosis.

My guess is many doctors may shrug off the results of the new study and continue to recommend vitamin D supplements, as there is little risk of harm and there may be benefits. The massive, lucrative vitamin and supplement industry will no doubt agree. Consumers appreciate the convenience of a pill, but most would likely be better off focusing on eating a nutritious diet.

Photo by Michele Blackwell on Unsplash.