Writing in the American Journal of Public Health, researchers used data from used data from the non-profit public health promotion organization GrassrootsHealth to follow more than 2,000 men and women of all ages for 19 months in order to assess the potential risk of kidney stone development from high vitamin D intake.
"Mounting evidence indicates that a Vitamin D serum level in the therapeutic range of 40 to 50 ng/mL is needed for substantial reduction in risk of many diseases, including breast and colorectal cancer," explained Professor Cedric Garland from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine - adding that this serum level is generally only achieved by taking vitamin supplements.
"Our results may lessen concerns by individuals about taking vitamin D supplements, as no link was shown between such supplementation and an increased risk for kidney stones," he said
The study found no statistically relevant association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25 (OH)D) serum levels in the range of 20 to 100 ng/mL and the incidence of kidney stones.
Findings from Garland's study did, however, suggest that older age, male gender and higher body mass index (BMI) are all risk factors for developing kidney stones. The team also noted that individuals with high BMI need higher vitamin D intake than their leaner counterparts to achieve the same 25 (OH)D serum level - something that may have been a confounding factor in previous research suggesting a link between the vitamin and kidney stones.