

Another issue is that diseases can cause inflammation, which can reduce vitamin D levels in the blood. But that may have developed because she or he spends little time outdoors being physically active or because the person has a poor diet, both of which are risk factors for many diseases, as well as for deficiency, says Dr. Manson.įor example, a person with a serious illness may have a vitamin D deficiency. So, the amount of vitamin D you get from food depends on the food you eat and how much milk you drink.Ĭertain health conditions. People with conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, liver disease, or cystic fibrosis, among others, may have trouble absorbing vitamin D, which can lead to deficiencies.ĭespite the fact that some studies have found an association between low blood levels of vitamin D and various diseases, it hasn't been proven conclusively that a vitamin D deficiency actually causes disease, says Dr. Breakfast cereals and some types of orange juice may also be fortified, but this varies by brand. government started a vitamin D milk fortification program in the 1930s to combat rickets, a bone-weakening disease caused by vitamin D deficiency, which was a major public health problem at the time. The foods you eat. Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D. Vitamin D is stored in fat, so in people with obesity, less of the vitamin circulates in the blood, where it's available for use by the body. Your weight. If you have a body mass index above 30, you may have low blood levels of vitamin D. African Americans have, on average, about half as much vitamin D in their blood compared with white Americans.
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Your skin color. People with darker skin typically have lower levels of vitamin D than lighter-skinned individuals. If you're over age 65, you generate only one-fourth as much vitamin D as you did in your 20s. Your age. Your skin's ability to produce vitamin D drops with age. Where you live. If you live in the northern states (latitudes north of 37°), you are at higher risk for a vitamin D deficiency because your skin may not be able to produce any vitamin D from sun exposure during the winter months. Your vitamin D levels reflect many factors. Factors that might affect your vitamin D levels

However, among people who later developed cancer, those who took vitamin D supplements for at least two years had a 25% lower chance of dying from their cancer compared with those who received a placebo. The study found that those taking a vitamin D supplement did not lower rates of heart attack, stroke, or cancer.
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Manson was a principal investigator of the recently published Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial (VITAL), a large study (more than 25,000 participants nationwide). "Research on vitamin D and calcium supplementation has been mixed and, especially when it comes to randomized clinical trials, has been generally disappointing to date," she says.ĭr.

While there is strong support for vitamin D's role in bone health, the evidence that it prevents other health conditions is not yet conclusive, says Dr. But beginning in 2000, research into vitamin D's role in other health conditions began to expand rapidly. Vitamin D, nicknamed the sunshine vitamin because your body produces it after sun exposure, has long been known to help build strong bones by increasing the body's absorption of calcium and phosphorous. And during the same time period there was nearly an 18% increase in the number of people taking 1,000 IU or more of vitamin D daily, which is also beyond the dose of 600 to 800 IU recommended for most people. Researchers looking at national survey data gathered between 19 found a 2.8% uptick in the number of people taking potentially unsafe amounts of vitamin D - that is, more than 4,000 international units (IU) per day, according to a research letter published in the June 20 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Some people are overdoing it with supplements. Unfortunately, this vitamin D trend isn't all blue skies. "This is really surprising for a test that is recommended for only a small subset of the population." Manson, the Michael and Lee Bell Professor of Women's Health at Harvard Medical School. "Vitamin D testing is one of the top Medicare lab tests performed in the United States in recent years," says Dr. Vitamin D supplements and screening tests have surged in popularity. In recent years, research has associated low blood levels of the vitamin with higher risks of everything from heart disease, diabetes, and cancer to mood disorders and dementia. Some people are overdoing it in search of better health.
