vitamin D recommended

Last week, it was vitamin D's turn to fall from grace.

The panel's exhaustive report concluded that levels of vitamin D are — thank you very much — just fine in virtually all healthy North Americans.

That was surprising to the legions of people who believed that high doses of the vitamin could prevent a laundry list of chronic conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, certain cancers, preeclampsia and low birth weight. To do that job, virtually all healthy people need only 600 international units (IUs) of vitamin D a day — and those older than 70, 800 IUs.

How much vitamin D did the experts say is necessary?

For most children, teens and adults, a daily dose of 400 international units (IUs) of the vitamin is sufficient, and 600 IUs recommended. Seniors older than 70 should ideally receive 800 IUs of vitamin D a day, the panel determined. For babies less than 1 year old, the panel considered 400 IUs of vitamin D enough.

Those levels are somewhat higher than the ones set in 1997, the last time a government panel examined vitamin D intake. A slew of recent studies have linked low levels of vitamin D to an increased incidence of these health problems. Maintaining a healthy level of vitamin D through diet alone has become much easier since manufacturers began fortifying foods with the nutrient.
A report released on November 30 has called for tripling the recommended dietary allowance of vitamin D for people aged 9 to 70 from 200 to 600 international units (IU) a day.
Children under nine, including infants, need 400 IU a day.
Despite recent studies suggesting that the vitamin D has benefits going far beyond bone health, the panel restricted its benefits to just that. "Overall, the committee concludes that the majority of Americans and Canadians are receiving adequate amounts of both calcium and vitamin D."