Vitamin D not linked to increased kidney stone risk

Vitamin D does not appear to increase risk for developing kidney stones, say researchers from the University of California, San Diego.

For their study, which was published online in the American Journal of Public Health (Oct. 17, 2013), the authors used data from the nonprofit public health promotion organization GrassrootsHealth to follow 2,012 men and women of all ages for 19 months. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the association between vitamin D status and kidney stones. Only 13 individuals self-reported a kidney stone diagnosis during the study.

The authors found no statistically relevant association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25 [OH]D) serum level in the range of 20 ng/mL to 100 ng/mL and the incidence of kidney stones.

“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,” said lead author Cedric F. Garland, DrPH, adding that this 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.”

The findings did show that older age, male gender, and higher body mass index were all risk factors for developing kidney stones. According to the authors, individuals with high BMI need higher vitamin D intake than their leaner counterparts to achieve the same 25 (OH)D serum level.

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