Getting enough vitamin D is important for everyone, but some people need higher levels than others. Pregnant women and people with certain health conditions should take higher doses of vitamin D. You can take vitamin D anytime, but it may be more effective if you take it with dietary fat (such as from nuts or seeds). Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, so dietary fat may help your body absorb more of it.
Dose of supplemental vitamin D
The dose of supplemental vitamin D is the amount that you consume each day. This vitamin helps maintain 25(OH)D levels in the blood. There are various ways to increase your vitamin D intake. Some people take a multivitamin. Others take a supplement that has the same amount of vitamin D as your body.
The current recommendations for vitamin D intake are provided by the Institute of Medicine. The recommended amount of vitamin D is 200 IU per day. For those who cannot take supplemental vitamin D, there are dietary sources of vitamin D. A study published by Barnes et al. showed that subjects who took a 200 IU dietary supplement had a lower body fat percentage. This may have reduced their body’s requirements for vitamin D and decreased the vitamin’s sequestration in adipose tissue.
The recommended dietary allowance for vitamin D is based on a population model and focuses on bone health. For people who are not deficient, a daily dose of 600-800 IU is sufficient. However, if you want to achieve optimal 25(OH)D levels, you’ll need more than this.
There is also evidence that vitamin D increases muscle strength. This is because vitamin D modulates the activity of the muscles. Serum 25(OH)D levels were decreased in the placebo group, but there were no significant changes in the serum levels in the vitamin D group. However, it increased the expression of the hormone interleukin-5 (IL-5). Furthermore, muscle strength correlated with serum 25(OH)D level, which indicates that vitamin D boosts muscle strength.
However, the study also had some limitations. For example, the intervention phase of the study was short. Future studies should assess supplemental vitamin D effects over a longer period of time. Additionally, physical activity levels should be carefully recorded. Lastly, the study included only thirty subjects. Thus, future studies should include larger sample sizes.
The study involved a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in which subjects were randomly assigned to one of three dietary and supplemental vitamin D groups. The participants took supplemental vitamin D supplements for 28 days. They were also asked to avoid taking ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, and aspirin.
Clinical trials
Two large studies have evaluated the effectiveness of vitamin D supplements in cancer prevention. These studies show that supplementation with vitamin D can reduce the risk of cancer death. One trial was conducted in Japanese patients, and found that vitamin D significantly reduced the risk of death from stomach cancer. Another looked at the risk of relapse after surgery.
The two studies used computer-generated randomization to allocate participants to groups. The trial duration was four to 12 months. A trial that is shorter risks detecting vitamin D’s impact before blood 25-hydroxylase levels have stabilized. A longer study is more likely to capture seasonal variation in outcomes. However, longer trials may suffer from reduced protocol fidelity.
The findings of these studies indicate that vitamin D supplements may prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease. The studies were randomized to men and women in diverse populations. They were balanced based on age and sex and included a minimum of 5000 black participants. Participants had to agree to limit their vitamin D intake to 800 IU per day and to take a three-month placebo run-in period. Participants were screened to make sure they did not have serious diseases, such as renal failure, cirrhosis, and a history of cardiovascular disease.
The findings of these studies suggest that vitamin D may improve the immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, more research is needed. This would include comparing vitamin D supplementation with cathelicidin levels, which are produced in the body when the body is deficient in vitamin D. The results would help determine whether or not vitamin D supplements improve the immune defense of the body against M. tuberculosis.
In a separate study at the University of Calgary, researchers examined the effects of increasing vitamin D dosages. In the study, 300 healthy people were randomized to receive a daily dose of 400 IU, 4,000 IU, or 10,000 IU. The results of the study indicate that the effects of vitamin D supplementation are small, but they may be significant. A large study would be required to determine the true effect of vitamin D supplementation on bone health.
Another study showed that vitamin D supplementation was effective in patients with lung cancer who had low serum 25(OH)D levels. However, it is important to note that the optimal range for serum 25(OH)D may differ by type of cancer. Researchers believe that the optimal range is varying by cancer type, and 2000 IU per day may not have been sufficient for the subgroup.
Adequate intake
According to recent research from the University of California, Riverside, the current recommended daily intake for vitamin D is inadequate. The researchers, led by Professor Anthony Norman, want the government to revise this standard. The current guidelines are 200 IU for adults under 50, 400 IU for those between 51 and 70 years old, and 600 IU for older adults.
The researchers used an approach that can cope with the multimodality of data. They used the infant formula consumption data, which were split into two unimodal distributions. The method was then used to estimate the habitual total vitamin D intake from multiple sources, including infant formula. Because of this method’s multimodality, researchers were able to estimate habitual total vitamin D intake without the assumptions that are required in many models.
Among the benefits of vitamin D, researchers have found it to be beneficial for many health conditions. It has been linked to a decreased risk of breast and colon cancers. There is also evidence that vitamin D reduces the risk of type 1 diabetes. But despite the many benefits of vitamin D, there is no consensus on the appropriate amount for everyone.
The Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies has recommended that pregnant women and lactating women take a minimum of 600 IU of vitamin D daily. However, most prenatal vitamins contain only 400 IU of vitamin D per tablet. Meanwhile, the Committee on Nutrition of the American Academy of Pediatrics has summarized the findings of recent observational and interventional studies and has suggested that the daily amount be increased to at least 800 IU.
Adequate vitamin D intake is important to bone health. It helps the body absorb calcium and phosphorus. In addition, adequate amounts of vitamin D may reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Vitamin D is found in certain foods and is also produced by exposure to sunlight. However, limiting sun exposure may limit the amount of vitamin D in the body. Additionally, cloud cover patterns and the angle at which the sun hits the earth affect vitamin D levels.
While vitamin D is important for bone health, too much of it can harm the heart and kidneys. It has also been linked to increased risk of falls and fractures. In addition, too much vitamin D can increase the risk of certain cancers.
