Cholecalciferol and the proposal to list it as a hormone disruptor
What it found
The authors found no published research supporting the idea that cholecalciferol acts as a hormone disruptor.
They argue it is made naturally in human skin after sun exposure.
What they found
Studies in people
Made naturally in skin
Cholecalciferol is not a foreign substance entering the body from outside. Human skin makes it in large amounts after exposure to UVB rays from the sun.
Studies in people and animals
Possible helpful effects
Many studies suggest cholecalciferol may help body functions that hormone disruptors are known to harm.
Other findings
No studies support listing
A search on March 10, 2022 found 33 references combining vitamin D and hormone disruptors. Most of these actually described how other hormone disruptors interfere with vitamin D processing in the body.
Worry about supplements
The authors warn that calling cholecalciferol a hormone disruptor could make people stop taking vitamin D supplements. They say this would worsen the already high number of people lacking enough vitamin D.
What the authors conclude
- They argue there is no scientific basis for adding cholecalciferol to the hormone disruptor list.
- They urge officials to cancel this decision quickly before it takes effect in France or spreads across the European Union.
How it was done
France planned to add cholecalciferol, also called vitamin D3, to its list of hormone disruptors. This plan worried French doctors and scientists, likely because very high doses are used as rat poison in some European countries.
The authors searched the PubMed database on March 10, 2022 for any published work linking vitamin D to hormone disruption. They reviewed the scientific reasons for and against adding cholecalciferol to this list.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This article reviews existing arguments rather than running a new experiment. It cannot measure health effects directly.
- The concern about public trust in supplements is a prediction. It was not tested with actual shoppers.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Université Paris-Saclay, Le-Kremlin-Bicêtre; Université de Lille et ULCO, Lille; Institut Pasteur, Lille
The paper
- Title
- [Cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) must not be considered as an endocrine disruptor]
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Souberbielle JC, Bacchetta J, Chanson P, et al (2022). [Cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) must not be considered as an endocrine disruptor]. Geriatrie et psychologie neuropsychiatrie du vieillissement. doi:10.1684/pnv.2022.1031PubMed 35929381DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error