Looking for a New Year’s resolution with meaning?

If your New Year’s resolution is already a distant memory, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute has a resolution you can stick to.

QIMR Berghofer’s D-Health trial is calling on the community to make a commitment to medical research, as it looks to establish the role vitamin D plays in preventing a range of diseases.

Associate Professor Rachel Neale says that Australians aged between 60 and 84 can join the study and make a positive contribution to medical research – a New Year’s resolution worth pursuing.

“We currently have over 18,000 participants involved in the study, however we’re aiming to recruit over 20,000 people,” Associate Professor Neale said.

“We are calling on as many people to become involved and make a difference. It requires very little of their time but will make an enormous difference to our understanding of the role of Vitamin D in preventing disease.

“Vitamin D is often considered a ‘magic bullet’ for everything from cancer and heart disease, to multiple sclerosis and mental health, but the jury is still out in terms of proven benefits.”

The D-Health trial will be recruiting participants until early May 2015. Those involved will take a supplement or a placebo – they won’t know which – once a month for five years. They will receive regular updates from the study about how their contribution is making a difference.

To see if you’re eligible to join the study, call the D-Health helpline on 1300 735 920 or visit dhealth.qimrbergofer.edu.au – and kick off your New Year with a bang.

D-Health is funded by a research grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).