Whether or not outcomes such as osteoporosis ( or low bone mass ) and specific types of cancer may be prevented by ' generous ' vitamin D supplementation is unclear and mostly based on indirect epidemiologic data not clearly substantiated by r and omized controlled trials SUMMARY The dose of daily vitamin D supplements needed to prevent rickets is probably much lower than that recommended by most expert committees .
PURPOSE OF REVIEW To underst and the basis for current recommendations for  vitamin D supplementation in childhood and the differences between the recommendations published by major expert committees , using the Medline engine of the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health .
Most trials have examined the question of whether a specific daily vitamin D dose is capable or not to prevent rickets ( by study ing surrogate markers of rickets ) .
The vitamin D content of fortified milk and infant formula
BACKGROUND The fortification of milk and infant formula with vitamin D has had an important role in eliminating rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults . A recent outbreak of vitamin D intoxication caused by drinking milk fortified with excess vitamin D has led to questions about the level of vitamin D in milk from other producers . METHODS We used high-performance liquid chromatography to measure vitamin D in sample s of 13 br and s of milk with various fat contents and 5 br and s of infant formula purchased at r and om from local supermarkets in five Eastern states . RESULTS Only 12 ( 29 percent ) of the 42 sample s of the 13 br and s of milk and none of the 10 sample s of the 5 br and s of infant formula contained 80 to 120 percent of the amount of vitamin D stated on the label . Twenty-six of the 42 milk sample s ( 62 percent ) contained less than 80 percent of the amount cl aim ed on the label . No vitamin D was detected in 3 of the 14 sample s of skim milk tested ( lower limit of assay , 4.7 IU per quart [ 5.0 IU per liter ] ) . One milk sample labeled as containing vitamin D2 ( ergocalciferol ) contained vitamin D3 ( cholecalciferol ) . Seven of the 10 sample s of infant formula contained more than 200 percent of the amount stated on the label ; the sample with the highest concentration contained 419 percent of the stated amount . None of the sample s of infant formula contained less than the amount stated . CONCLUSIONS Milk and infant-formula preparations rarely contain the amount of vitamin D stated on the label and may be either underfortified or overfortified . Since both underfortification and overfortification are hazardous , better monitoring of the fortification process is needed
Whether or not outcomes such as osteoporosis ( or low bone mass ) and specific types of cancer may be prevented by ' generous ' vitamin D supplementation is unclear and mostly based on indirect epidemiologic data not clearly substantiated by r and omized controlled trials SUMMARY The dose of daily vitamin D supplements needed to prevent rickets is probably much lower than that recommended by most expert committees .
PURPOSE OF REVIEW To underst and the basis for current recommendations for  vitamin D supplementation in childhood and the differences between the recommendations published by major expert committees , using the Medline engine of the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health .
Most trials have examined the question of whether a specific daily vitamin D dose is capable or not to prevent rickets ( by study ing surrogate markers of rickets ) .