Magnitude of Changes in 25 OH Vitamin D3 Levels After Vitamin D3 Supplementation

Vitamin D deficiency is common world wide. 25 OH vitamin D level is the best indicator of vitamin D status. The determination of the appropriate dose of vitamin D supplement is essential for management of vitamin D deficiency as well as for designing vitamin D fortification programs. The increments in 25 OH vitamin D levels following various doses of vitamin D supplement for different genders, body weights, and starting 25 OH vitamin D level have not been well defined. The time course of depletion of repleted vitamin D stores is also not known. The investigators plan to conduct a double blind randomized study on 9 cohorts to determine levels of 25 OH vitamin D following supplementation with different doses of vitamin D3 for 5 months and their withdrawal for 3 months.