Impact of Three Doses of Vitamin D3 on Serum 25(OH)D Deficiency and Insufficiency in At-Risk Schoolchildren

Sacheck JM, Van Rompay MI, Chomitz VR, Economos CD, Eliasziw M, Goodman E, Gordon CM, Holick MF (2017) J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2017 Sep. doi: 10.1210/jc.2017-01179. [Epub ahead of print]

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Abstract:

OBJECTIVE:

We investigated the daily dose of vitamin D needed to achieve serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] sufficiency among schoolchildren at-risk for deficiency.

STUDY DESIGN:

The Daily D Health Study was a randomized double-blind vitamin D supplementation trial among racially/ethnically diverse schoolchildren (n=685) in the northeastern U.S. Children were supplemented with vitamin D3 at 600, 1000, or 2000 IU/day for six months. Measurements included serum 25(OH)D at baseline (Oct-Dec), 3 months (Jan-March), 6 months (April-June), and 12 months (6 months post-supplementation).

RESULTS:

At baseline, mean ± SD serum 25(OH)D was 22.0 ± 6.8 ng/mL; with 5.5% severely vitamin D deficient (

CONCLUSIONS:

Children who are at risk for vitamin D deficiency benefit from daily sustained supplementation of 2000 IU/day compared to lower doses closer to the current RDA for vitamin D intake. This benefit occurred over the winter months when serum 25(OH)D levels tend to fall.

FAB RESEARCH COMMENT:

In this dose-ranging clinical trial, 2000 IU per day of Vitamin D was found to be the optimal dose for eliminating deficiency in children in the North-West US.

Although this dose is only half the Upper Safe Level, most official recommendations are much lower

UPDATE 2024:

A recent narrative review has summarised more recent evidence supporting 2000 IU / day of Vitamin D3 as an appropriate RDA for the general adult population.

Large-scale RCTs have shown that this dose is not only safe for the general adult population, but much more likely than current (varied, but much lower) recommendations to achieve the blood levels needed for both optimal bone health and other important health outcomes. See: