Vitamin D intakes and health outcomes in infants and preschool children: Summary of an evidence report

Study answer

What this study found

Daily vitamin D supplementation reliably increased serum 25(OH)D concentrations, but the evidence did not establish a causal clinical benefit for most health outcomes in generally healthy infants and young children. In dose-response meta-regression, each 100 IU/day increase in supplementation was associated with a 1.92 nmol/L higher achieved 25(OH)D concentration (95% CI 0.28, 3.56; p = .022; I2 = 99.39%; n = 53 intervention arms). Most infectious disease outcomes showed no between-group difference, and growth and bone findings were mixed, with only isolated studies showing benefit. Evidence…

Study & population

Systematic review evidence report of trials and prospective observational studies in generally healthy infants and preschool children aged 0-4 years.

Intervention

Vitamin D supplementation, primarily vitamin D3 or vitamin D2, was given orally, usually daily, at doses ranging from 400 IU/day to 1,200 IU/day across studies; some trials used weekly, monthly, bolus, or fortified-food regimens.

Key limitation

Certainty was low or very low for most outcomes, and heterogeneity was substantial for the 25(OH)D dose-response analysis.

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Original abstract