Vitamin D intake above current recommended levels was not reported to be associated with an increased risk of harms. However, most trials using higher doses of vitamin D were not adequately designed to assess potential harms.

"The vitamin D and bone health evidence report provides valuable insights because it is based on an independent and rigorous examination of the totality of evidence across all age groups and during pregnancy and lactation," said Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Director Carolyn Clancy, M.D. "It Is important that health care decisions are made using a review of all available evidence and not solely on the results of individual study reports."


This report will serve as the framework for a conference, Vitamin D and Health in the 21st Century: An Update, September 5-6, 2007 on the NIH campus. Although the conference is free of charge and open to the public, attendees are requested to register at http://vitamindandhealth.od.nih.gov, where additional conference materials are available. Speakers will present the salient points of emerging research since the 2003 NIH Vitamin D conference, including the AHRQ evidence report, Effectiveness and Safety of Vitamin D in Relation to Bone Health. The goals of the conference are to evaluate the efficacy and safety of vitamin D, identify gaps in knowledge on the efficacy and safety of vitamin D, inform NIH and other Federal agencies on vitamin D and health research priorities, and to disseminate the conference findings to the broad scientific nutrition community.

The ODS-sponsored report was produced by the University of Ottawa Evidence-based Practice Center, and is available at:
http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/tp/vitadtp.htm. The conference is sponsored by ODS, the National Cancer Institute, The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, and the American Society for Nutrition ODS was established at NIH in November 1995 as a result of the Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act passed by Congress in 1994. The mission of ODS is to strengthen knowledge and understanding of dietary supplements by evaluating scientific information, stimulating and supporting research, disseminating research results, and educating the public to foster an enhanced quality of life and health for the U.S. population. For additional information about ODS, please visit http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov.

The mission of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. Please visit www.ahrq.gov for additional information.

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