New study claims Vitamin D supplement not effective in strengthening bones in older women

By Charmaine Montes, Christian Post Contributor Friday, August 28, 2015

Vitamin D is long known to help the body in absorbing calcium, which forms and maintains strong bones. It may also protect against osteoporosis, high blood pressure, cancer, and other diseases. But according to new research, high doses of vitamin D are now found to be ineffective in improving bone strength among postmenopausal women.

Inquisitr reported that a recent study published in "JAMA" revealed that despite the fact that low levels of vitamin D in the body are linked with a greater risk of developing osteoporosis, taking high supplemental doses of the said vitamin does not lead to an increase in bone or muscle strength.

Dr. Karen Hansen, lead author of the study, stated that while high-dose vitamin D did result to increase in calcium absorption, the increase was only one percent. She also added, "[It] did not translate into gains in spine, hip or total body bone mineral density."

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Hansen and her colleagues from University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison gathered a group consisting of 230 women. The women were all under the age of 75 and postmenoausal. Another characteristic the women shared was that they were all low in vitamin D. Excluded from the study are those with other risk factors that would cause bone issues.

Separated in three groups, the participants of the study were given different doses of vitamin D between 2010 and 2013. The low-dose group received 800 IUs daily while the high-dose group obtained 50,000 IUs twice per month. The placebo group received no amount of vitamin D.

By the end of the year, results showed that the no-dose group had a rate drop in calcium absorption by a little more than one percent, while the low-dose groups experienced a decline of about two percent. The high-dose group resulted a rate climb by just one percent.

But despite the results revealed, Hansen stated that she does not believe her study is the last and definitive word on vitamin D, reports News Max.