Side-effects of vitamin D

Vitamin D has been in the news lately because of research indicating that many people may be suffering from deficiencies of the “sunshine vitamin.”

Vitamin D has been in the news lately because of research indicating that many people may be suffering from deficiencies of the 'sunshine vitamin'. Now some new research suggests that taking Vitamin D could have some downsides.

Kerrie Sanders of the University of Melbourne in Australia and colleagues studied 2,256 women aged 70 and older to see if giving them a huge dose of Vitamin D once a year would reduce their risk of falls and fractures. The researchers were surprised to discover that the women who got the Vitamin D experienced 15 per cent more falls and 26 per cent more fractures than those who got a placebo, according to a report in last week’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The researchers speculate that the largest total annual dose of Vitamin D — 5,00,000 international units — used in any large study like this, may be a problem. Giving all that Vitamin D at once may have caused the body to produce less Vitamin D, resulting in weakening bones and more falls and fractures, researchers say.