Taking vitamin D supplements for a variety of reasons, including heart health, has become common but new research suggests the "sunshine" vitamin may do little to improve cholesterol.

Researchers studied 151 people with a vitamin D deficiency. The participants either took a weekly 50,000 international unit mega-dose of vitamin D3 or a placebo. Cholesterol levels were measured at the beginning and the end of the eight-week study.

Those taking the mega-vitamin corrected their Vitamin D deficiency but their cholesterol levels showed no change.

The team believes longer, larger studies are needed to further assess whether increasing vitamin D levels through exposure to sunlight would make a difference; compared to the poor results from the oral vitamin supplementation.

The complete study can be found in: Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, an American Heart Association Journal.

I’m Dr. Cindy Haines of HealthDay TV, with news you can use for healthier living.