New trial to investigate vitamin D’s anti-diabetes potential

Talk about some good news. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is funding the very first large and definitive clinical trial on vitamin D supplementation.

This new study will be conducted in 20 medical centers across the United States, and feature roughly 2,500 prediabetic subjects. The goal is to find out if vitamin D can help to prevent diabetes in high-risk populations.

Well hallelujah.

Given previous research on the subject, I feel confident that the results of this placebo-controlled, double-blinded study will be positive. And I’m especially encouraged given the dosage that these researchers will be using–4,000 IU of vitamin D3.

It’s a much more therapeutically effective dose than the paltry amount designated by the RDA. (That is, a mere 600 IU.) And needless to say, it’s much more in line with my own recommendations to readers. (Especially now that the winter is approaching.)

It will likely be at least another five years before the final word on this research is in. But in the meantime, you can’t go wrong with at least 2,000 to 5,000 IU of vitamin D every single day.

Source:
“Large study to examine if vitamin D prevents diabetes.” National Institutes of Health. October 21, 2013. Web. November 8, 2013.