The new guidelines emphasize who should get more than the recommended vitamin D

Over 40% of American adults are vitamin D deficient. But how do you know when you actually need to take a supplement?

That guidance is still lacking, a panel of clinical experts agreed. Together, they teamed up to create clinical practice guidelines for the Endocrine Society, which they published earlier this month.

After evaluating randomized placebo-controlled trials, researchers determined that some groups need more vitamin D than the recommended dietary allowance suggested by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is 600 IU or 15 mcg for people between aged 1-70 years:

• Children and adolescents aged 1 to 18 years to prevent foodborne rickets and reduce the risk of respiratory tract infections
• People 75 years and older to reduce the risk of mortality
• Pregnant people to reduce the risk of preeclampsia, pregnancy loss, premature birth and low birth weight babies
• People with prediabetes at high risk to prevent progression to diabetes

The researchers did not suggest an ideal dose of vitamin D for any of these groups; they only showed that these people need more vitamin D than current dietary guidelines suggest.

Low levels of vitamin D are linked to many negative health outcomes, including issues related to bone health, heart health, and immune health. However, endocrinologists recommended against regular vitamin D deficiency screening for the general population, concluding that the risk of over- or under-diagnosis is too great given the lack of clarity about what vitamin D levels should be next. first.

The authors note that these suggested recommendations for vitamin D are not intended to replace the current recommended dietary allowance for the general population. Nor do these guidelines apply to people with established indications for vitamin D treatment or testing, such as people with kidney disease.

How to support healthy vitamin D levels

Based on these new suggested guidelines, children, pregnant women, those over 75, and those with high-risk prediabetes should consider taking vitamin D in excess of the recommended dietary allowance, ideally under the guidance of a health care provider. . For everyone else who does not have a medical condition that dictates otherwise, supplementation is suggested to help meet the currently recommended dosage of 600 IU/day. (For people older than 70, this recommendation increases to 800 IU).

When choosing vitamin D supplements, some data suggests choosing vitamin D3 over vitamin D2 in order to increase levels more quickly.

Edwina Clark, RD, a California-based dietitian who was not involved in the research, agrees with the Endocrine Society’s findings that while existing guidelines are helpful, vitamin D recommendations should really be tailored to the individual. She also points out that the proposed new guideline does not recommend mega-dosing of vitamin D.

“Too much supplemental vitamin D can be toxic and even fatal,” Clark told Verywell. Symptoms of vitamin D toxicity include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, confusion, dehydration, thirst, kidney stones, and eventually calcification of tissues and organs.

There aren’t many food sources of vitamin D, but some items can help you meet your needs, including:

• rainbow trout
• Salmon stocking
• Mushrooms
• Fortified orange juice
• Dairy milk
• Plant-based fortified milk drinks
• Fortified breakfast cereals

“Fortified breakfast cereals already contain [up to] 20% of the daily value for vitamin D, making it an affordable and convenient option to add to your family’s routine,” Elizabeth Shaw, RD, told Verywell.