Current Vitamin D Daily Requirement Questioned

Vitamin D is produced naturally in reactions between exposed skin and sunlight, although it can also be found in supplements and other dietary forms, such as fortified milk and fatty fish. Since the best way to maintain adequate levels of vitamin 0 is to be exposed to sunlight on a daily basis,

it should come as a surprise to no one that deficiencies have increased. Today, more people are spending time inside and when they do go outside, they often cover up to protect against the sun’s harmful rays. Moreover, wearing sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 8 or more inhibits vitamin D production in the skin by more than 95%.

The last updates made about vitamin D recommendations occurred in 1997 and were made primarily for the prevention of bone disease, such as rickets in children and osteoporosis in the elderly.

The current guidelines recommend 200 to 600 international units (IU) a day; some believe this number should be increased to 2,000 IU, perhaps following the Canadian Cancer Society’s recent increase to 1,000 IU.

Recent studies show that vitamin D is beneficial for much more than bone diseases. Also, there is evidence to suggest that vitamin D deficiency plays a role in many diseases, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, tuberculosis, the flu, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, schizophrenia, depression and many forms of cancer—including colon, breast, ovarian, prostate and, ironically, skin cancer.

While prolonged sun exposure is not recommended because of increased cancer risk, it seems a little sunlight may do more good than harm.

Unfortunately, some in the medical community don’t believe sufficient evidence exists to warrant a change in the federal guidelines.