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Evidence-Based Supplement Research
Evidence-Based Supplement Research
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Vitamin D and Increased Bone Mineral Density

Research synthesisLow evidenceSmall effect5 studies · 3 beneficial · 2 neutral · 0 harmful

Across 5 studies, 3 reported beneficial effects and 2 found neutral effects, with no harmful outcomes. The predominant effect size was small. The most-studied dose range was 1000–5000+ IU/day, often in clinical populations (children or adults with obesity undergoing surgery). Only 1 of 5 studies reported a duration (365 days), so effects at shorter timeframes are not well characterized.

  • Effective dose range: 1000–5000+ IU/day
  • Studied populations: clinical populations (children with thalassemia, adults with obesity undergoing bariatric surgery, children born to supplemented mothers)

Caveats: Only 3 of 5 studies reached statistical significance — effect may be smaller than the predominant direction suggests. The evidence base is small (only 5 studies) — conclusions should be considered preliminary. The highest-quality studies (RCT with evidence score 7, meta-analysis with score 6) reported neutral effects, while lower-quality studies (reviews with score 4 and below) reported beneficial effects, suggesting possible overestimation of benefit in weaker study designs.

Generated Jun 11, 2026
Doses used in studies
  • IU/day: 1,000–7,943 (median 3,735.75, IQR 2,000–6,207.25) — 2 studies
  • mcg/day: 5 (median 5, IQR 5–5) — 1 study
Time to effect
Median: 12.2 months · IQR 12.2 months–12.2 months · Range 12.2 months–12.2 months — Reported in 1 of 5 studies
Safety in these studies
5 of 5 papers
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