Report of the Scientific Committee of the Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition (AECOSAN) in relation to vitamin D supplementation in the diet of children aged 0 to 3 years

Vitamin D is necessary for both healthy bones and muscles, and for various physiological mechanisms, and a lack of vitamin D is associated with several illnesses. Therefore, a daily intake is recommended to ensure 25-hydroxicholecalciferol serum levels of 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/l). This can be obtained through the diet or be synthesized in the skin, but solar radiation incident vary according to country and region, and the ability to synthesize reduces with age, so diet supplementation with vitamin D could be recommended. Most of the studies on vitamin D intake in European children show that this intake is lower than recommended; the majority of European countries, international organizations and scientific communities therefore recommend supplementing the diet with vitamin D, and have also defined the maximum tolerated levels of this vitamin. They recommend consuming food rich in vitamin D, a reasonable amount of sun exposure and practising physical activities in the open air, so as to obtain 20 mg/ml or 50 nmol/l serum levels of 25(OH)D. If not, a supplement of up to 400 Ul/day (10 µg/day) is recommended, under strict medical or paediatric supervision, especially during breastfeeding. The dose can be adjusted to each individual’s characteristics, whilst kept below the maximum tolerated level.