Taking vitamin D twice a day may keep vertigo away, say scientists

By MiNDFOOD

Taking vitamin D twice a day may keep vertigo away, say scientists
Vitamin D twice a day may help keep vertigo away, a new study finds. 

A study published in the online journal Neurology has found that taking vitamin D and calcium twice a day may reduce chances of getting vertigo.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common type of vertigo. 86 per cent of people who suffer from BPPV say that it interrupts their daily life or causes them to miss work.

It is often treated by doctors performing a series of head movements to shift particles in the ears that cause the dizziness.

The study, led by Seoul National University of College’s Dr Ji-Soo Kim looked at 957 people in Korea who suffer from vertigo.

Half the participants had their vitamin D levels taken at the start of the study. 348 with vitamin D levels below 20 nanograms per ml were given vitamin D and calcium supplements twice a day.

The researchers found that those who took the supplements had a lower recurrence rate for vertigo episodes. The vitamin supplements were especially effective for those with low vitamin D levels to begin with.

“Our results are exciting because so far, going to the doctor to have them perform head movements has been the main way we treat benign paroxysmal positional vertigo,” said Kim.

“Our study suggests an inexpensive, low-risk treatment like vitamin D and calcium tablets may be effective at preventing this common, and commonly recurring, disorder.”

The researchers noted one limitation of the study being that a large number of participants did not complete the whole study and that more people who were assigned the supplements dropped out of the study than those in the observation group.

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