Work

The Effects of Vitamin D Replacement with a High-Dose Treat-to-Goal Strategy

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Vitamin D deficiency [25(OH)D < 30 ng/mL] is widely prevalent globally and the efforts to tackle it have been rather unsuccessful to date. Despite different cutoffs used to define it, many clinicians adhere to the 2011 Endocrine Society definition. We present a special treat-to-target protocol aiming to restore and maintain vitamin D sufficiency. METHODS: We reviewed the efficacy and safety of our vitamin D supplementation protocol over 5 years, and compared it to a group of patients who self-reported never taking vitamin D supplements. We recorded the baseline, 2-month, and annual 25(OH)D (D) measurements, along with subjects' age, sex, BMI, history of osteoporosis, nephrolithiasis, nephrocalcinosis, and renal colics. According to our supplementation protocol, replenishment of vitamin D involves cholecalciferol dosing in two steps: a loading dose (LD) for 2 months and a maintenance dose (MD) thereafter. Please refer to the main text for loading and maintenance dose titration. RESULTS: > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our intervention protocol appears highly efficient in achieving and maintaining vitamin D adequacy over 5 years, with no increase in adverse events compared with controls, presenting it as an effective long-term strategy.

Source: Nutrients

DOI: 10.3390/nu18030477