YOUR VITAMIN D CHEAT-SHEET

When using the cutoff of 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/L) for vitamin D deficiency, according to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 90 million Americans

are vitamin D deficient. Are you one of them?

Vitamin D is critical for many functions in the body. You probably already know that having adequate levels is crucial for healthy bones, but it may surprise you to learn that the active form of vitamin D interacts with more than 30 different tissues in the body and affects more than 1,000 genes. In other words, it’s important for a whole lot of things other than your bones! Here are some of the roles vitamin D plays in the body: 

necessary for maintaining muscle strength has a significant impact on the immune system increases our resistance to infections, particularly bacterial and viral infections that impact the respiratory tract may help protect against colorectal cancer important for maintaining healthy heart function and blood pressure

Why do we need vitamin D?

Vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency is a problem in this

country, particularly for those who are dark-skinned,

spend most of their time indoors, regularly use sunscreen,

live in northern latitudes, and/or are overweight or obese.

Winter is an especially difficult season for our bodies to

synthesize enough vitamin D—as the days grow shorter

and darker and we spend less time outside, we’re simply

not exposed to enough sunlight. For this reason, now is a

good time to consider having your levels checked. Ask

your healthcare provider, or you can order your own

vitamin D test at RequestATest.com for $59. 

Checking Your Levels

What is a healthy level?

The CDC reports 66 million

Americans have 25(OH)D levels

in the 12 to 20 ng/mL range,

while 23 million have levels less

than 12 ng/mL. You should aim

for 30 ng/mL, which is the

threshold set by the Endocrine

Society. If your levels come

back under 20 ng/ml, I suggest

talking to your practitioner

about creating a protocol for

elevating them.

While exposure of our skin to sunlight is the optimal way to get vitamin D, many people are concerned about the risk of skin cancer and sun damaged skin. You can get it in food but it’s not naturally present in large amounts. The majority of dietary vitamin D in the United States comes from the artificial fortification of milk or nondairy milk products;  breakfast cereals, and orange juice. Herring, wild salmon, sardines, and fish liver oils are good natural sources of vitamin D, and you can also get small amounts in eggs, beef, and butter. However, while I advocate getting your nutrients from food whenever possible, it’s hard to get adequate amounts of D from dietary sources alone. Here’s an approximation of what you’d need to eat in order to get just 600 IUs of vitamin D:

Unless you REALLY like sardines or can afford mass quantities of caviar, chances are you’ll want to consider supplementing in order to ensure adequate vitamin D levels.

Food Sources of Vitamin D

1.5 quarts (6 cups) of fortified milk 10 ounces (3.5 tins) of sardines 15 eggs 300 cups of mushrooms 18 ounces (1.1 pounds) of caviar

Our body uses cholecalciferol, or vitamin D3, which

makes it the optimal form for supplementation. The

vast majority of vitamin D3 in supplements is produced

from either lanolin or fish liver oil. Ergocalciferol, or

vitamin D2, is commercially prepared from ergosterol

(present in yeast) and is generally preferred by

vegans.  

I recommend 2,000 IU per day of vitamin D3 for adults,

particularly during the winter months. The upper limit is

4,000 IU per day, so this dose is well within the “safe”

range.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that needs to be

taken with some fat. Since dinner tends to be richer in

fat than other meals, I tell my patients to take their D

with dinner or the fattiest meal of the day.  One study

found taking vitamin D with dinner increased blood

levels of vitamin D by 50 percent more than when it

was taken with breakfast.

SUPPLEMENT CONSIDERATIONS What form of vitamin D should I take?

How much?

How do I take it?

Research suggests vitamin D can help prevent flare-ups in

people with inflammatory bowel disease and improve

eczema symptoms.

If you plan on becoming pregnant, have your vitamin D

levels checked and corrected first if possible. Studies show

having adequate vitamin D during pregnancy can be

protective for both mom and baby.

Newborn babies who are exclusively breastfed should be

given 400 IU per day of vitamin D. To make sure infants get

what they need, just put one drop of vitamin D oil (400 IU)

on your nipple before nursing, alternating breasts each

day. 

Special Populations

If you have hyperparathyroidism, Hodgkin’s or non-

Hodgkin’s lymphoma, granulomatous disease (sarcoidosis,

tuberculosis, kidney stones, kidney disease, or liver

disease, make sure you talk to your healthcare provider

before taking more than the recommended daily

allowance (RDA) of vitamin D.

CAUTION: