Dr. Zorba Paster: There’s enough evidence to make taking vitamin D worth it

Dear doc: I keep reading about vitamin D, how much to take, what it means, etc. Is there such a thing as taking too much D? I’m a fit senior who wants to live a long life. – D.J. from Buffalo

Dear D.J.: There are lots of vitamins and supplements that have bitten the dust in the past few years – that is, for older folks such as you. Vitamin C and E, folic acid, beta carotene and even calcium have shown little to no benefit for adults. When it comes to D, the jury is still out.

There is evidence that those with low D levels just might have an increased risk of getting COVID-19 and having complications from it. African Americans who generally have lower D levels have higher COVID-19 rates – and that might be in part because of D.

How much D to take, if you’re interested, is up for grabs. Some say 1,000 IU is enough, some 2,000 IU and some up to 5,000 IU. Once you get to about 5,000 IU, you might run into trouble.

There can be toxicity with high D, but that tends to be in the 10,000 IU range. I take 2,000 IU a day. Whether this is a placebo or not, I’m not sure. But for now, I think there is reasonable data to show vitamin D helps you toward that long, sweet life you’re interested in living.

Dear Dr. Paster: Does the dietary supplement turmeric have any proven positive effects other than psychological? The label says it “may help support joint function, mobility and comfort.” – C.C.S.

Dear C.C.S.: Perhaps yes, perhaps no. From an FDA point of view, you can’t say it works for arthritis because that would mean it has been proven by double blind placebo controlled studies. It hasn’t.

So, the work around is to use the words they use. This allows them to sell their drug just like we sell cosmetics. My mom used Pond’s cold cream because she said it would make her appear more youthful. Did it work? She thought it did, so she used it every night.

Supplements set a low bar when it comes to what they claim. Big pharma isn’t interested in studying them because they can’t make money on them – that makes sense since it takes many millions of dollars to get a drug to market.

You’d need the National Institutes of Health to fund supplement studies, and they’re more interested in basic science or fighting disease such as cancer. That means supplements will never be studied scientifically.

My spin: Try turmeric several times to see if it works for you. I usually suggest two weeks on, then two weeks off, and repeat that a few times. If it’s a placebo, any perceived positive effect usually disappears over time. Stay well.

Dr. Zorba Paster is a family physician and host of the public radio program “Zorba Paster on Your Health.” He can be reached at askzorba@doctorzorba.com.