Vitamin D is found everywhere in the body. It is essential for many body functions. It has been shown to be important in helping to

  • Avoid complications of pregnancy
  • Avoid Parkinson’s disease
  • Maintain cognition (this may help reduce the effects of Alzheimer’s disease)
  • Prevent cancer of several types
  • Prevent type 1 diabetes, especially in babies
  • Increase the risk of heart attacks and stroke
  • Increase the body’s ability to fight Clostridium difficile infections (that is a nasty infection that is resistant to many antibiotics. Help avoid it by making sure you wash your hands frequently when visiting someone in hospital)
  • Increase your response to exercise
  • Increase the chances of migraine (possibly)
  • Increased risk of fibromyalgia (a painful condition that has sometimes been linked to chronic fatigue syndrome)

There are probably many other health problems possibly associated with not enough vitamin D in the body. Autism has been suggested by some experts as being related to lack of vitamin D, but there needs to be a lot more research done to confirm the link – it might be that the lack of vitamin D is actually the result of something else.

The problem with all of these possible ill effects of not enough vitamin D is that it takes a long time to show the effects of supplementation with vitamin D on the health problem. There is also disagreement over the type of vitamin that should be used for supplementation.

So, how much vitamin D do I need?

Unfortunately, that is not possible to answer in a post – it all depends. How much vitamin D do you actually have in your body? How much sun to you allow to reach your skin (without sun blocker or clothes)? How dark is your skin? How far north (or south) of the equator do you live (the higher the latitude, the less effective sun exposure is in increasing vitamin D levels). How old are you (older people make less vitamin D)? How much vitamin D do you get in your food?

The answer to the last question is actually easy – not much. The only way to know how much vitamin D you need is to have a health care provider request a lab test for you. Once you know the levels, then you can plan for getting more vitamin D. The majority of people in the higher latitudes do not have enough vitamin D, so I can be fairly certain that you will need more.

Options for increasing vitamin D levels

Really, there are only two ways to increase vitamin D levels:

  • More sun exposure
  • Supplementation

The sun exposure can be difficult – you need about 15-20 minutes of full sun exposure every day during. As I write this post there has been no sun all day! In doing this, you have to be careful to avoid burning your skin. You may need to increase the time if you are dark skinned, and as you get older. See how difficult it is? The amount of vitamin D you can get from food is limited. Maybe a bit from calcium and vitamin D that is added to some orange juice or milk, but that is not a reliable amount.

Supplementation is easier, but you need to work with your health care provider to determine the dose. You don’t need to use a prescription form of vitamin D. What you can buy at the health food store is usually enough. Just make sure you buy a good brand, and have your vitamin D levels checked. Probably at the beginning and end of winter.

Blood levels of vitamin D

Blood levels should ideally be kept above 15 ng/ml (37.5 nmol/L), but less than 200 ng/ml (500 nmol/L) according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. My physician recommends keeping my levels closer to the lower level to avoid side effects. I take 1000 units per day, but some people may need 10,000 units/day, at least for a short time. It is important to work with your health care provider to determine YOUR correct level of supplements.

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Filed under: Health • Vitamins

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