After VITAL study: Is Vitamin D supplementation necessary?

Abstract

Received: September 01, 2019; Accepted: September 16, 2019; Published: September 20, 2019 Informing the public about Vitamin D, its benefits, particularly its protective effects against non-skeletal chronic illnesses such as that of cardiovascular and cancer effects remains challenging and confusing [1]. The recent Vitamin D and Omega-3 fatty acid (VITAL) study results, a Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT) [2] has further thrown the public in mistrusting vitamin D supplementation. I hear patients and practitioners alike stating: “vitamin D does not work” perhaps because they equate the negative findings of the VITAL study to mean that vitamin D (cholecalciferol) supplementation is not effective at all. Such misunderstanding could lead to stepping backwards from what the scientific society has long proven the science behind Vitamin D’s effects. Hence, the purpose of this commentary is to discuss weaknesses in the VITAL’s study that could assist healthcare practitioners’ hence, the population they serve on vitamin D supplementation.