Vitamin D is good for your bones, doctors have said for years, but new research suggests taking a vitamin pill a day might extend your life.
The findings, published last week in Archives of Internal Medicine, add to the growing medical literature about the benefits of the vitamin produced by the skin in response to sunlight. Recent studies have linked vitamin D deficiencies to higher risk of cancer, diabetes and multiple sclerosis. It could play a role in reducing heart disease and preventing pre-eclampsia in pregnant women.
“It’s very new to see [the effects of] vitamin D on organs different than the bones,” said co-author Dr. Philippe Autier. “These are very ordinary doses. You don’t need four or five pills a day. … You should probably get rid of all the other” vitamins in the medicine cabinet, Autier said by phone from Lyon, France, where he is a researcher at the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Getting enough vitamin D isn’t easy. A daily dose might take about 10 minutes in peak sun — with its own hazards — or 2 quarts of fortified milk.