Vitamin D supplementation led to a notable drop in LDL, or “bad” cholesterol levels, in a recent randomized control trial.

In the Women’s Health Initiative study, women aged 50 to 79 took 400 IU vitamin D and 1000 mg calcium daily for three years, with a control group taking placebo. Despite the low dose, a 38 percent increase in vitamin D level for the test group led to a 1.28 mg/dL decrease in LDL levels.

“Oral [vitamin D and calcium] (1,000 mg of elemental calcium combined with 400 IU of vitamin D3 daily) results in a significantly increased concentration of 25(OH)D3 and decreased LDL-C levels,” the study concluded. “We also demonstrated that higher serum concentrations of 25(OH)D3 are significantly associated with improvement in all three lipid parameters tested (HDL-C, LDL-C, and TG).”

The researchers acknowledge that more research needs to be done to confirm the relationship but note that the double-blind study design and using blood tests to gauge vitamin D levels gives the research “considerable strength.”

Click here to view the study published in the journal Menopause.

Click here to read coverage from The New York Times.

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