The Endocrine Society just announced new Vitamin D guidelines.  A panel of experts looked at all of the research on Vitamin D and have determined that the current recommended daily amounts (RDA) are too low.  The new recommendation is that healthy adults take 600 units per day if they are under 70 and 800 units per day for those over 70.  For people who are obese, on corticosteroids or anti-fungal medications the Vitamin D recommendation is 6000-10,000 units per day!

The expert panel recommends that people in high risk groups (obese, African-American, Hispanic, on corticosteroid medications) be screened for Vitamin D deficiency with the 1,25-dihydroxy-Vitamin D test.  The experts state that deficiency is under 20 ng/mL.  I should mention that many others believe that deficiency is under 40 ng/mL.

I bet that this is not the last you will hear about Vitamin D guidelines and recommendations.  For now if you wish to read the entire recommendation paper you can go to:  www.acpinternist.org/weekly/archives/2011/6/14/index.html#1

And if you are interested to know more about Vitamin D and its impact on infection rates, read here!

Cheers!
Jim Bowers MD FACP