Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

Letters Vitamin D and falls

Information on harm is missing

BMJ 2009; 339 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.b4395 (Published 28 October 2009) Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b4395

Rapid Response:

Harm is not due to vitamin D but calcium

Meyer and Köpke urge us to consider "side effects of vitamin D and
its toxicity".
But the doses involved ( vitamin D of 400 - 1100 IU) in Bischoff-Ferrari's
meta-
analysis in the BMJ of 1 Oct 09 and in the quoted reference ( Avenell
2009) for
side-effects are certainly not toxic. Older advise for the tolerable
upper intake
level for vitamin D was 2000 IU, newer evidence exists for the safety for
much
higher doses, 10,000 IU daily, (Vieth 2009). And concerning side effects
- in
the quoted reference (Avenell 2009) gastro-intestinal symptoms and renal
calculi are clearly in the vast majority due to the added calcium or the
use of
calcitriol- not due to vitamin D.

Competing interests:
None declared

Competing interests: No competing interests

09 November 2009
Helga M Rhein
GP
Sighthill Health Centre, Calder Rd, Edinburgh EH11 4AU