New vitamin D study: sunshine beats supplements

ScienceDaily (Jan 27, 2008) - Low blood levels of vitamin D have long been associated with disease. Supplemental vitamin D has been used for decades - the assumption has been that it might help prevent disease.

 

However, this new research by Trevor Marshall (PhD, professor at Australia's Murdoch University) shows that those assumptions may have been wrong: the use of vitamin D supplements can actually be harmful, as they seem to suppress the immune system so that the body cannot fight disease and infection effectively.

 

The low levels of vitamin D may actually be a result of the disease, and increasing synthetic vitamin D intake may often make the disease worse. Ingested vitamin D can actually block the nuclear receptor activation - the opposite effect to that of sunshine, the best source of natural vitamin D.