Obese children need high-dose vitamin D3

Vitamin D deficiency is common in Americans, and especially in overweight and obese adolescents, according to the National Institutes of Health. University of Missouri researchers have found that providing obese adolescents with a high daily dose of vitamin D3 is safe and effective in improving their vitamin D status. A daily dose of 4,000 IUs of vitamin D3, the maximum intake level set by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), was both safe and effective at improving vitamin D status in obese adolescents. Obese adolescents are only about half as efficient at using vitamin D as their lean counterparts.