The Endocrine Society recently gave guidelines that vitamin D lab work should only be obtained for those “at risk.” Risk factors include
- Obese,
- African-Americans,
- pregnant and breastfeeding women,
- patients with malabsorption syndromes.
Not surprisingly, some causes of vitamin D deficiency include (the above), obesity, fat malabsorption syndromes, bariatric surgery, nephrotic syndrome.
This leads to the question of. . . How much Vitamin D should I take a day? Well, it depends on your age. . .
Infants and children aged 0-1 require at least 400 IU a day to maximize bone health
Between ages 1 to 70, pregnant, or breastfeeding women require at least 600 IU/day
Adults 70 years and older require at least 800 IU/day
You’ll find VitaminD2 or D3 at the store and either can be taken for the treatment or prevention of Vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D is well documented to help with muscle strength and is therefore thought to help prevent falls in the elderly. There is insufficient evidence to suggest vitamin D supplementation in excess of above recommended daily needs. This is because there is insufficient evidence to show that Vitamin D prevents cardiovascular disease or death, or improves quality of life.
Look at the chart below for dietary Vitamin D or take a vitamin D supplement. Hope this helps.
| Food | IUs per serving* | Percent DV** |
|---|---|---|
| Cod liver oil, 1 tablespoon | 1,360 | 340 |
| Salmon (sockeye), cooked, 3 ounces | 447 | 112 |
| Mackerel, cooked, 3 ounces | 388 | 97 |
| Tuna fish, canned in water, drained, 3 ounces | 154 | 39 |
| Orange juice fortified with vitamin D, 1 cup (check product labels, as amount of added vitamin D varies) | 137 | 34 |
| Milk, nonfat, reduced fat, and whole, vitamin D-fortified, 1 cup | 115–124 | 29–31 |
| Yogurt, fortified with 20% of the DV for vitamin D, 6 ounces (more heavily fortified yogurts provide more of the DV) | 88 | 22 |
| Margarine, fortified, 1 tablespoon | 60 | 15 |
| Liver, beef, cooked, 3.5 ounces | 49 | 12 |
| Sardines, canned in oil, drained, 2 sardines | 46 | 12 |
| Egg, 1 large (vitamin D is found in yolk) | 41 | 10 |
| Ready-to-eat cereal, fortified with 10% of the DV for vitamin D, 0.75–1 cup (more heavily fortified cereals might provide more of the DV) | 40 | 10 |
| Cheese, Swiss, 1 ounce | 6 | 2 |
* IUs = International Units.
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