Home >  Consumer Reports magazine  >  2013  >  May  >  Most vitamin D pills measure up, our tests find

Most vitamin D pills measure up, our tests find

But prices can vary a lot, and some that are combined with calcium flunked a California standard for lead

Consumer Reports magazine: May 2013

Our latest tests yield some good news for the many people who take a daily vitamin D pill, or one that combines calcium and vitamin D: All of the 32 products met or exceeded their claimed levels of the vitamin, disintegrated or dissolved properly where applicable, and were well below the safe upper limit set by the Institute of Medicine.

But we found levels of lead that exceeded a limit for reproductive risk set by California Proposition 65 in nine out of 12 products that combined vitamin D with calcium. That’s a common supplement pairing because vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. We think there are better choices than those nine, which are listed in a separate section in the Ratings.

We also found that costs can vary widely, as shown in the chart. So choose by price and preference of pill type, and consider whether you want a product that also contains calcium.

Finally, it's not clear that everyone who takes vitamin D needs the pills. People who get enough midday sun in warmer months probably don’t need extra amounts, since the body makes from exposure to sunlight. But you might need vitamin D if you have osteoporosis or a condition such as celiac disease that impairs the body’s ability to absorb fat-soluble vitamins, including D. For details, see our article "Do You Really Need More Vitamin D?"

Related Topics

For our tests, at least three samples of each product were analyzed for their level of vitamin D3 (the form of the vitamin most were claimed to contain) and, in the case of the combined products, their level of calcium. The supplements with calcium were also tested for the presence of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury.

Average vitamin D3 levels ranged from 105 percent to 141 percent of the labeled amount in the adult and children’s vitamin D-only products (1,000 international units, or IU, and 400 IU, respectively). But even the higher levels were well below the Institute of Medicine’s maximum safe daily level of 4,000 IU.

Most adults up to age 70 need no more than about 600 IU of vitamin D a day; older people, 800 IU. Avoid exceeding 4,000 IU daily unless your doctor has prescribed a higher dose to treat a deficiency. Too much vitamin D can cause kidney damage. Other symptoms of toxic amounts of D include confusion, nausea, and weakness.

Did you know?

Few foods naturally contain vitamin D. Fatty fish and cod-liver oil have the highest levels. Smaller amounts are available in beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks. Most of the vitamin D consumed in the U.S. diet comes from fortified foods, such as milk.


Editor's Note: A version of this article appeared in the May 2013 issue of Consumer Reports magazine with the headline "Vitamin D."
   

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