High-Dose Vitamin D Doesn't Improve Clinical Outcomes in Postmenopausal Women

By Jenni Whalen

Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH

Neither low nor high doses of supplemental vitamin D improve outcomes in postmenopausal women, according to a study in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Roughly 230 postmenopausal women, aged 75 years or younger with vitamin D insufficiency (14–27 ng/mL) but no osteoporosis, were randomized to placebo, low-dose cholecalciferol (800 IU vitamin D daily), or high-dose cholecalciferol (50,000 IU twice monthly).

At 1 year, total fractional calcium absorption increased by 1% in the high-dose group but decreased in both the low-dose and placebo groups. No changes in bone mineral density or falls were found.

The authors conclude that the findings "do not justify the common and frequently touted practice of administering high-dose cholecalciferol to older adults to maintain serum 25(OH)D levels of 30 ng/mL or greater."