Vitamin D is essential for our bodies, helping us absorb key minerals like calcium and magnesium that keep our bones and muscles healthy.
We naturally get some vitamin D from sunlight, but in many cases, sunlight alone isn’t enough, especially for people who spend much of their time indoors or live in areas with limited sunshine.
That’s where vitamin D supplements come in, as they help people maintain adequate levels of this important nutrient. Studies have even suggested that vitamin D may help prevent diseases like cancer and heart disease.
Recently, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital conducted a large study to investigate how effective vitamin D supplements are in lowering the risk of cancer, heart disease, and stroke. They also looked at marine omega-3 supplements for similar benefits.
Using data from thousands of people across the United States, the researchers aimed to understand if and how these supplements might improve health outcomes.
In their findings, the researchers noted that the benefits of vitamin D supplements were not universal; rather, they seemed to depend on the weight of the person taking them.
Specifically, people with a Body Mass Index (BMI) under 25 saw the most significant benefits from taking vitamin D, while people with higher BMIs experienced less noticeable effects.
BMI is a common measure to assess whether someone is underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese. A BMI under 25 falls into the “normal weight” range, and in this study, individuals in that range were the ones who gained the most from vitamin D supplementation.
The research team collected data from a total of 16,515 participants from an earlier large-scale trial. They also took blood samples from an additional 2,742 people to analyze vitamin D levels over a two-year period.
By checking both total and free levels of vitamin D in the blood, along with other markers of how the body processes vitamin D, they gained a detailed view of how the supplements affected the participants.
Interestingly, while vitamin D levels increased in all participants who took the supplements, the rise was smaller in people with higher BMIs.
This could explain why individuals with lower BMIs saw more pronounced health benefits, such as a 30-40% lower risk of cancer-related deaths, while people with higher BMIs did not experience these same outcomes.
The researchers suggest that body weight may play a significant role in how vitamin D is absorbed and used in the body.
One key takeaway from the study is that we might need to consider more personalized approaches to vitamin D dosing.
In other words, rather than a one-size-fits-all dose, people with higher BMIs may benefit from higher doses of vitamin D to achieve the same benefits as those with lower BMIs. By personalizing vitamin D doses, more people could potentially gain health benefits, regardless of their weight.
If you’re interested in learning more about nutrition, studies are ongoing about the best time to take various vitamins for heart health, how zinc might reduce the risk of COVID-19, and how plant-based nutrients could help with blood pressure control.
There’s also research on antioxidants that may help reduce the risk of dementia.
This vitamin D study, led by Deirdre K. Tobias and published in JAMA Network Open, provides valuable insights into how our bodies process vitamin D differently depending on factors like weight.
It’s a meaningful step toward understanding how to optimize vitamin D supplementation to support health in diverse populations.
If you care about nutrition, please read studies about the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease, and vitamin D supplements strongly reduce cancer death.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies about plant nutrient that could help reduce high blood pressure, and these antioxidants could help reduce dementia risk.
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