Supplements for Vertigo

By Editorial Staff

Do you ever feel dizzy and off balance, as if the world is spinning around you (or you're spinning around it)? You could be suffering from vertigo, and it's often caused by an inner-ear disturbance. But let's not talk about the cause; let's talk about a potential solution: nutritional supplementation, particularly vitamin D and calcium.

Among nearly 1,000 adults with vertigo (benign paroxsysmal positional vertigo, one of the most common forms of the condition), those who received vitamin D and calcium supplements experienced significantly fewer annual recurrences compared to those who received no supplements, according to research published in Neurology. Study participants who received calcium and D supplements (400 IU of vitamin D and 500 mg of calcium, twice daily for one year) had lower vitamin D levels at baseline than participants who did not receive supplements. This suggests supplementation, particularly when vitamin D levels are low (below 20 ng/mL, which is considered deficient), may be an effective means of managing vertigo. (Note that calcium cannot be absorbed without vitamin D, which is why supplementation conversations usually mention both.)

Your doctor can tell you more about the many research-supported benefits of vitamin D and calcium (for much more than just vertigo), and help determine whether supplementation with either or both is advisable.