#393: Vitamin D: Does Supplementation Actually Improve Health?

Vitamin D status is linked to a variety of health outcomes, and avoiding or correcting deficiency is important. However, does supplementing with vitamin D actually benefit most people? Is there evidence for supplementation improving health outcomes like mortality, cancer risk, depression or other outcomes? In this episode Danny and Alan look at intervention trials of vitamin D supplementation.

Studies referenced in this episode:

1. MacDonald et al., 2018 – 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Threshold for the Effects of Vitamin D Supplements on Bone Density
2. Burt et al., 2019 – Effect of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation on Volumetric Bone Density and Bone Strength
3. VITAL trial – VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL
4. Yu Zhang et al., 2019 – Association between vitamin D supplementation and mortality: systematic review and meta-analysis
5. Angellotti et al., 2019 – Effect of vitamin D supplementation on cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetes
6. Koning et al., 2019 – D-Vitaal study
7. VITAL-DEP trial – ancillary study to VITAL – Okereke et al., 2020

“I Have a Question!”  [1:05:38]

Today’s questions:

1. James: Vitamin D is promised to be the cure for almost every disease known to man. Prominent neurology professors have linked vitamin D deficiency to multiple sclerosis – have you got a sense of the validity of these claims?
   • Jagannath et al., 2018 – Vitamin D for the management of multiple sclerosis
   • McLaughlin et al., 2018 – Vitamin D for the treatment of multiple sclerosis: a meta-analysis
   • Rosjo et al., 2015 – Vitamin D supplementation and systemic inflammation in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis
2. Richard: What should and shouldn’t be taken with vitamin D, foods and/or supplements, to hopefully enhance bone health, in women especially.
   • Borel et al., 2015 – Vitamin D bioavailability: state of the art

Quack Asylum [1:15:20]

Vitamin D claims made by Dr. Mark Hyman.

Random Recommendations [1:17:58]

Alan’s Recommendation: Deutschland 83

Danny’s Recommendation: John Mayer – Neon (live)