Now a new and controversial book by an American doctor suggests that taking even higher levels of the vitamin - 10 to 15 times the recommended amounts - can work wonders.
Dr James Dowd, who works at the Arthritis Institute of Michigan, has been prescribing vitamin D to people suffering from chronic disorders such as arthritis, back pain and headaches and the result, he claims, is a huge improvement in their symptoms.
In his book, The Vitamin D Cure, Dr Dowd describes a number of success stories using this approach. One of his patients, Barbara, for instance, was obese, and suffered from arthritis in one leg as well as high blood pressure.
As Dowd explains: "In the past I would have given her anti-inflammatory drugs, pain medication, a pill to lose weight and drug treatment for hypertension."
Vitamin D intake is inversely associated with rheumatoid arthritis: results from the Iowa Women's Health Study.
Merlino LA, Curtis J, Mikuls TR, Cerhan JR, Criswell LA, Saag KG; Iowa Women's Health Study.
Arthritis Rheum. 2004 Jan;50(1):72-7.
PMID: 14730601
DOI: 10.1002/art.11434
CONCLUSION: Greater intake of vitamin D may be associated with a lower risk of RA in older women, although this finding is hypothesis generating.
Vitamin D and autoimmune rheumatic diseases.
Cutolo M.
Rheumatology (Oxford). 2009 Mar;48(3):210-2. Epub 2008 Oct 17.
PMID: 18930963
doi:10.1093/rheumatology/ken394
Hypovitaminosis D among rheumatology outpatients in clinical practice.\nMouyis M, Ostor AJ, Crisp AJ, Ginawi A, Halsall DJ, Shenker N, Poole KE.\nRheumatology (Oxford). 2008 Sep;47(9):1348-51. Epub 2008 May 22.\nPMID: 18499714 \ndoi:10.1093/rheumatology/ken203
Clinical aspects of vitamin D in the management of rheumatoid arthritis.\nLeventis P, Patel S.\nRheumatology (Oxford). 2008 Nov;47(11):1617-21. Epub 2008 Aug 5. Review.\nPMID: 18682414 \ndoi:10.1093/rheumatology/ken296 \n