Private MD News

Expert calls for more research into benefits of vitamin D

Category: Vitamin D Deficiency-Diagnosis and Treatment

Blood tests for vitamin D are considered an important part of understanding nutritional status. However, it is still not known exactly how much of the nutrient a person should have in their body. For this reason, experts are calling for more investigations to be conducted.

Kristen Bibbins-Domingo, a University of California, San Francisco researcher, was a part of a recent U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that recommended against the use of vitamin D and calcium for the prevention of fractures.

This recommendation was not made because the task force believes the nutrients are not necessary for bone health. Instead, it was a simple lack of clear evidence that led to the recommendation. In particular, few studies have shown a benefit to supplementation in relatively healthy women.

"Many women are taking higher doses of vitamin D already, and that is where there is not sufficient evidence for us to make a recommendation one way or another," Bibbins-Domingo said. "We need more research. There are not enough high-quality studies."

While safe upper limits of vitamin D are not known exactly, medical professionals do know when levels are too low. Therefore, there is still benefit to blood testing to check levels of the nutrient.