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Are You Getting Enough Vitamin D?

Acceptable Vitamin D Blood Levels

Your health care provider can check your vitamin D blood level with a simple blood test.

Part of the confusion about whether or not you are getting enough vitamin D may be the definition of the acceptable blood level of vitamin D, clinically measured as 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D].

Using vitamin D blood levels is the best estimate of adequacy that accounts for dietary intake and sunshine, yet experts differ on what that level should be.

"A 25(OH)D blood level of at least 20 nanograms/ml was used by the IOM committee to set the recommendations for vitamin D because this level showed adequacy for a wide variety of bone health indicators" says Brannon.

The Endocrine Society Practice Guidelines, as well as many laboratories and experts (including Baetti), recommend a minimum vitamin D blood level of 30 nanograms/ml as an acceptable level.