How Much Vitamin D Do You Need? | Health Goes Strong

A new report adds more data to the continuing controversy over the benefits of vitamin D supplements

December 21, 2011

Eating food rich in vitamin D could have some benefits

Source: Getty Images

Supplements aren't the only source of vitamin D. You can get it from sun exposure as well as from the food pictured here: salmon, fortified cereal, fortified milk and egg yolk

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If you follow medical news, you've probably heard a lot about the purported benefits of vitamin D. But a number of studies have also questioned whether a taking vitamin D supplement is a good idea. How do you decide what to do?

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has a new report out that could help. The analysis of nearly 50 vitamin D studies found that vitamin D lowers the risk of fractures in older adults but only if taken with calcium supplements. The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, also found inconclusive evidence that vitamin D can help prevent cancer.

The best dose of vitamin D is also unclear. This study concludes that a daily dose of between 300 and 1,100 international units (IUs) along with 500 to 1,200 milligrams of calcium reduces fracture risk in people over 65.

But last year, a report by the Institute of Medicine, a branch of the National Academy of Sciences, found that people up to age 70 need no more than 600 IUs of vitamin D a day and people over 70 may need up to 800 IUs.

This study doesn't settle things but it does point out the need for continued research into the benefits and correct dosage of vitamin D.

Do you take vitamin D supplements?

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Anonymous | Dec 22, 2011

It would be nice if we could get all we need from sunshine, but for most of us, lifestyle or latitude interfere. And even if you're a young, half-naked skateboarder in Honolulu, you're likely to be low in D (here's the research—I love this doc's short videos: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-d-supplements-may-be-necessary/) So I wanted to know why all the different recommendation levels, and he explains the science, makes it easy to understand, starting here: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-d-recommendations-changed/.