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Vitamin D: What you need to know.

You should know, Vitamin D is an essential for healthy bones. But can you take too much? Find out now!
vitamin-d-stacey-bell

Unless you’ve been asleep at the switch, you know that there is a lot in the press about the benefits of vitamin D. The most compelling studies have shown that people with higher levels of vitamin D in their blood have a lower chance of developing many types of cancer later in life such as of the breast, colon, and pancreas. This has triggered many Americans to start popping vitamin D pills. But, is this a good thing? YES and NO.

Yes, but not too much!

You should take vitamin D supplements, because a healthy diet does not provide enough. Just about every American has a low vitamin D level in the blood. However, too much vitamin D may be harmful. Men who have high levels of vitamin D in the blood are at increased the risk of prostate cancer.

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So, what should you do?

  • Get your blood vitamin D level done. Get this test done each year to make sure that your level stays in a healthy range. Blood vitamin D should be above 20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L).
  • Take vitamin D supplements to get your blood level normal. Your doctor can help you figure this out. Many people need up to 1,000 IUs a day, but rarely anyone needs more than 2,000 IUs.
  • Drink milk, which is enriched with vitamin D. Each cup has 100 IUs. This is also good for bone health and weight control.

For more information about Vitamin D, please check out this informative slideshow on WebMD.



Dr. Stacey J. Bell is a nutrition doctor and expert on food and dietary supplements:staceyjbell.com

Image by: Dorling Kindersley

Comments

Julie Craig said on 4/20/2011 at 9:33 PM,

You can sure tell when your low on vitamin D. At 50 I couldn't understand why my nails were getting brittle and my hair just didn't feel right. I went to the DR and she told me nothing was wrong to leave the nail polish off and wear gloves when my hands were in water. haha I didn't listen because I had the gut feeling it was deeper than that. So I asked her to do a vitamin count blood work up, and she did. Sure enough I was horribly low on D and after just 2 weeks into the large dose of D she put me on my nails and hair felt normal again. now I take 1000 IU a day and I feel so much better.

Dr. Stacey Bell said on 5/22/2011 at 3:42 PM,

Julie,
Good for you in persisting on getting answers from your doctor. The relationship between vitamin D levels and finger nail strength is not well understood. The goal is to take enough vitamin D to maintain normal levels of it in the blood. You should get tested in a year to see if the 1,000 IU dose is right.

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