Am Fam Physician. 2026;113(3):291-293
Author disclosure: No relevant financial relationships.
| • Avoid routine testing for vitamin D levels in healthy children and adults because there is no proven benefit, and no evidence-based target levels exist. |
| • Consider empiric vitamin D supplementation in children aged 1 to 18 years, pregnant adults, individuals with prediabetes, and adults 75 years and older for illness prevention without measuring or targeting vitamin D levels. |
| • Consider not recommending routine vitamin D supplementation for healthy adults aged 19 to 74 years because there are no proven health benefits. |
| From the AFP Editors |
Although low levels of vitamin D are related to many common disorders, including musculoskeletal, metabolic, cardiovascular, malignant, autoimmune, and infectious diseases, the evidence for supplementation is mixed. Since 2000, the number of people in the United States taking vitamin D supplements at a dose of 1,000 IU or more increased from less than 1% to 18%. However, uncertainty regarding the optimal range of vitamin D serum levels has led to inconsistencies in clinical practice. The Endocrine Society has updated its guidelines on the evidence for vitamin D supplementation and testing for disease prevention.
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