Vitamin D in Food Supplements: Labeling Survey

An adequate vitamin D (vitD) intake (Recommended Daily Allowance,RDA= 5µg) is crucial for health maintenance and its deficiency isassociated with several health problems. The increase in hypovitaminosisD cases and the proliferation of food supplements (FS) that are easilyaccessible by the population, have led to an unrestrained chronicconsumption of FS. VitD may accumulate in the body and originatetoxicity (Tolerable Upper Limit, UL=100 µg). The aim of this study was toevaluate if daily vitD doses mentioned in FS labels are in conformity withRDA. 210 solid and liquid FS (for pediatrics and adults) sold in Portuguesepharmacies, supermarkets, health shops and on the internet were examinedfor indicated daily intake of vitD and compared to RDA and UL values.51.43% of FS have values higher than RDA, 8.57% higher than UL. Theaverage vitD daily dose in FS is 24.48 µg, with a high variability betweensamples (0.25 - 250 µg). Majority of FS labels recommend vitD daily dosesabove RDA and some even above UL, regardless of being for adults orchildren. Therefore, it is crucial that vitD dose in FS is reviewed to ensurethe safety of these products.