Vitamin D

Evidence by condition

Each grade reflects the research for Vitamin D and that condition specifically.

• B

  Common cold

  Daily or weekly vitamin D modestly cuts the odds of acute respiratory infections (aOR 0.88), with the largest benefit in deficient people; large bolus doses do not help.

  2 citation s

  • Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infections: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data
    Meta-analysis 2017 · n=10,933 · BMJ · PMID 28202713 · DOI 10.1136/bmj.i6583
  • Vitamin D — Health Professional Fact Sheet
    NIH ODS · accessed 2026-06-21
• C

  Chronic musculoskeletal pain

  Supplementation does not reliably reduce chronic nonspecific musculoskeletal pain; low vitamin D is associated with pain, but correcting it has shown inconsistent benefit.

  2 citation s

  • Does vitamin D supplementation alleviate chronic nonspecific musculoskeletal pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis
    Meta-analysis 2017 · Clinical Rheumatology · PMID 26861032 · DOI 10.1007/s10067-016-3205-1
  • Vitamin D — Health Professional Fact Sheet
    NIH ODS · accessed 2026-06-21
• C

  Sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss)

  Only a small effect on muscle strength (mainly when correcting deficiency) and no reduction in falls — higher doses may even increase falls; resistance exercise is better evidenced.

  3 citation s

  • The effects of vitamin D on skeletal muscle strength, muscle mass, and muscle power: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
    Meta-analysis 2014 · n=5,615 · Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism · PMID 25033068 · DOI 10.1210/jc.2014-1742
  • The Effects of Four Doses of Vitamin D Supplements on Falls in Older Adults: A Response-Adaptive, Randomized Clinical Trial (STURDY)
    Randomized trial 2021 · n=688 · Annals of Internal Medicine · PMID 33284677 · DOI 10.7326/M20-3812
  • Vitamin D — Health Professional Fact Sheet
    NIH ODS · accessed 2026-06-21
• C

  Fibromyalgia

  Meta-analyses show a modest pain reduction, strongest in deficient patients, though some pain scales show no effect.

  2 citation s

  • Does vitamin D supplementation impact fibromyalgia-related pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis
    Meta-analysis 2025 · n=310 · Nutrients · PMID 41156485 · DOI 10.3390/nu17203232
  • Vitamin D — Health Professional Fact Sheet
    NIH ODS · accessed 2026-06-21
• D

  Osteoporosis

  Vitamin D alone did not reduce fractures in non-deficient adults (the VITAL trial); its bone value lies mainly in correcting a true deficiency and pairing with calcium.

  2 citation s

  • Supplemental Vitamin D and Incident Fractures in Midlife and Older Adults
    Randomized trial 2022 · n=25,871 · New England Journal of Medicine · PMID 35939577 · DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa2202106
  • Vitamin D — Health Professional Fact Sheet
    NIH ODS · accessed 2026-06-21