A large study with a good 25,000 people showed that vitamin D as a dietary supplement had little benefit in preventing cancer, heart attack or stroke. At the same time, a connection was found between BMI, cancer and autoimmune diseases, and in other studies also with type 2 diabetes. More detailed analysis of blood samples from 16,515 participants revealed that vitamin D intake increased most biomarkers of vitamin D metabolism. However, this increase was significantly lower in people with a higher BMI.
“We found striking differences that indicate an attenuated response to vitamin D intake in individuals with a higher BMI. This may have clinical implications and may explain some of the differences in the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation,” said Deirdre K. Tobias, an epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
The head of the working group Dr. JoAnn E. Manson added, “This study sheds light on why we found a 30 to 40 percent reduction in cancer deaths, autoimmune diseases and other health problems with vitamin D supplementation in individuals with lower BMIs, but minimal benefit in those with higher BMIs see. This suggests that individualized dosing of vitamin D may have benefits.” However, further studies are needed to say which dosing is ideal for which BMI.
Which: DOI 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.50681