Vitamin D in Health and Disease: More Questions Than Answers

Insufficient data (specifically from randomized controlled trials) exist to support dose-response relations between vitamin D levels — and other health outcomes other than bone health.

While there is still much we need to learn about the role of vitamin D in health and disease, we do know that many children and adolescents in the U.S. have suboptimal levels.

A U.S. study of 559 adolescents (mean age, 16 years; 45% black) showed that 29% had deficient serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels (deficiency, <20 ng/mL; severe deficiency, ≤10 ng/mL); regardless of season, black adolescents were significantly more likely than whites to have deficient levels, with severe deficiency in 11% of blacks versus 0% of whites (JW Pediatr Adolesc Med Jun 16 2010). Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) suggest that nearly 51 million children and adolescents have insufficient vitamin D levels (15–29 ng/mL)…

Reviewing Author

Alain Joffe, MD, MPH, FAAP

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Alain Joffe, MD, MPH, FAAP

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Vitamin D in Health and Disease: More Questions Than Answers

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Reviewing Author