Evidence mapPaperPMID 39861407Full record

ReviewNutrients2025

Vitamin D: Evidence-Based Health Benefits and Recommendations for Population Guidelines.

William B Grant, Sunil J Wimalawansa, Pawel Pludowski, Richard Z Cheng

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Nutrients, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 77 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
77citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

77 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Pooled it
  8. The effects of dairy products containingFrontiers in nutrition · 2026
    Trial
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Content of Vitamin DMetabolites · 2026
    Review
  13. Review
  14. What's New in Photoprotection?American journal of clinical dermatology · 2026
    Review
  15. Review
  16. Review
  17. Review
  18. Review
  19. Review
  20. Review

17 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

William B GrantSunlight, Nutrition, and Health Research Center, 1745 Pacific Ave., Ste. 504, San Francisco, CA 94109, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1439-3285
Sunil J WimalawansaEndocrinology & Human Nutrition, Department of Medicine, Cardiometabolic & Endocrine Institute, North Brunswick, NJ 08902, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1096-8595
Pawel PludowskiDepartment of Clinical Biochemistry, The Children's Memorial Health Institute, 04-730 Warsaw, Poland.ORCID 0000-0001-8475-7112
Richard Z ChengOrthomolecular Medicine News Service, Columbia, SC 29212, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-2228-533X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Vitamin D offers numerous under-recognized health benefits beyond its well-known role in musculoskeletal health. It is vital for extra-renal tissues, prenatal health, brain function, immunity, pregnancy, cancer prevention, and cardiovascular health. Existing guidelines issued by governmental and health organizations are bone-centric and largely overlook the abovementioned extra-skeletal benefits and optimal thresholds for vitamin D. In addition, they rely on randomized controlled trials (RCTs), which seldom show benefits due to high baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations, moderate supplementation doses, and flawed study designs. This review emphasizes the findings from prospective cohort studies showing that higher 25(OH)D concentrations reduce the risks of major diseases and mortality, including pregnancy and birth outcomes. Serum concentrations > 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L) significantly lower disease and mortality risks compared to <20 ng/mL. With 25% of the U.S. population and 60% of Central Europeans having levels <20 ng/mL, concentrations should be raised above 30 ng/mL. This is achievable through daily supplementation with 2000 IU/day (50 mcg/day) of vitamin D

Indexed as

Dietary SupplementsEvidence-Based MedicineNutrition PolicyVitamin DVitamin D DeficiencyFemaleHumansPregnancy25-hydroxyvitamin DVitamin Dcancercardiovascular diseasechronic kidney diseasechronic lower respiratory diseasesCOVID-19dementiadiabetes mellitusEndocrine Societypregnancy

Identifiers

PMID39861407
PMCPMC11767646

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.