Optimal vitamin/mineral levels linked to reduced chronic pain in new study

If you're suffering chronic pain, an important step to take is to check if you're deficient in micronutrients. This was the primary finding of a new study in which researchers demonstrated that fixing micronutrient deficiencies is an effective step in reducing pain levels.

The study, conducted at the Health Sciences department at the University of Arizona in Tucson, focused on five micronutrients commonly associated with chronic pain: Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, magnesium, folate and Vitamin C.

To conduct the study, the researchers used participant data from a large database operated by the National Institutes of Health. The database is known as the All of Us research project.

The researchers examined the micronutrient status in subjects which were divided into three general categories: Those without pain; those with mild-to-moderate chronic pain; and those with severe chronic pain. The data was also further examined based on race and ethnicity.

The number of enrolled subjects varied per micronutrient---from a low of 656 for Vitamin C to a high of 93,445 for magnesium.

Using widely-accepted reference ranges for nutrient levels, the team classified participants as normal, deficient, or borderline deficient.

Findings
The researchers found that while there were some differences between sexes and ethnicity, all groups with chronic pain had a greater incidence of deficiencies in Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, folate, and magnesium. The results were most noticeable with regards to those with severe chronic pain.

With regards to the fifth nutrient---Vitamin C---the results were less dramatic. Only men showed a relationship between pain and deficiency in Vitamin C.

It was discovered that males with mild-to-moderate and severe chronic pain were likelier to have low and borderline low levels of Vitamin C than those without chronic pain. Moreover, men with borderline and severe Vitamin C deficiency were also more likely to have chronic pain.

The findings of the cross-sectional study were published in Pain Practice in May 2025.

Poor general nutrition knowledge
While not the first study examining the link between micronutrient deficiencies and pain, the authors of the study asserted theirs was "the first to take a large-scale precision medicine approach to chronic pain." The study's authors further stressed that they hoped the findings would help lead to a time when "personalized nutritional strategies" would be used to help manage pain.

While this sounds like a simple and obvious suggestion, it will not be easy to implement in a medical system that is wholly pharmaceutical based---as is the situation in the U.S.
The current U.S. Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has frequently lamented the lack of nutrition training for American health professionals. According to Kennedy, on average new doctors only receive 2.5 hours of nutritional education during their lengthy medical training.

For this reason most medical doctors have little to no knowledge regarding the intrinsic relationship between nutrient deficiencies and numerous health conditions. This not only affects the sphere of pain treatment---as was examined in the current study---but virtually all health conditions.

Earlier studies
Due to the expensive nature of controlled independent clinical studies, large-scale studies on non-patented nutrients are rare; however, numerous small-scale studies have demonstrated a link between various essential nutrients and chronic pain.

A 2016 study found Vitamin D to be an effective "replacement treatment on musculoskeletal symptoms and quality of life in patients with chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain."

A 2020 study found higher intakes of calcium and magnesium reduced migraine pain; and a 2021 study, conducted in Italy found B-vitamins were effective in addressing chronic pain.

​In this study the Italian researchers had openly stated their goal was to examine "non-drug treatments" that might help reduce the opioid crisis. Hopefully more studies like this will one day help eliminate the world's dependency on prescription drugs.
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Sources: Pain Practice (2025 study), International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases (2016 study), Frontiers in Nutrition (2020 study), Pain Practice (2021 study).