The recommended daily amount of vitamin D is 400 international units (IU) for children up to 12 months, 600 IU for people from 1 to 70 years old, and 800 IU for people over 70 years old. Mayo Clinic recommends that adults consume at least the recommended daily dose of 600 IU. However, taking 1000 to 2000 IU of vitamin D per day in supplement form is generally safe, should help people achieve an adequate level of vitamin D in their blood, and may have additional health benefits. Although there are no guidelines for measuring the level of vitamin D in the blood, it may be prudent in people with osteoporosis or other health conditions.
Ask your healthcare provider if it may be beneficial to monitor your vitamin D level. Children as young as 1 year old and adults need 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day. This includes pregnant and breastfeeding women and people at risk of vitamin D deficiency. Multiple sclerosis.
People who live near the equator are more exposed to the sun and have higher levels of vitamin D. However, clouds, smog, old age and dark-colored skin reduce the amount of vitamin D the skin produces. A doctor told my husband that everyone living in the Northern Hemisphere should take a vitamin D supplement every day, even in summer. Weight loss Taking vitamin D supplements or eating foods rich in vitamin D doesn't help you lose weight.
Vitamin D toxicity is generally due to excessive doses of vitamin D supplements, not diet or sun exposure (. You can read the nutrition labels of foods such as milk and alternatives to milk, breakfast cereals and yogurt to find out if they are fortified with vitamin D (. Bone health and osteoporosis Long-term vitamin D and calcium deficiencies make bones fragile and break more easily. Clinical trials suggest that, while vitamin D supplements (with or without calcium) may not affect the risk of developing cancer, they may slightly reduce the risk of dying from this disease.
People at high risk of not getting enough vitamin D, all children ages 1 to 4, and all infants (unless they consume more than 500 ml of infant formula a day) should take a daily supplement all year round. More research is needed to better understand the role vitamin D plays in preventing cancer and cancer-related deaths. In addition, certain health conditions affecting the gastrointestinal tract can decrease vitamin D absorption and predispose to low blood levels of vitamin D. As a result, the main sign of vitamin D toxicity is hypercalcemia, or high levels of calcium in the blood (4,.
However, an association does not mean that low levels of vitamin D cause these conditions or that taking a vitamin D supplement will prevent or treat them properly. The main negative effect of vitamin D toxicity is hypercalcemia, with symptoms including nausea, vomiting, weakness, and kidney failure. Vitamin D toxicity can be treated, but severe cases can, over time, lead to kidney failure, irregular heartbeats and calcification of soft tissues such as arteries (.