Please enter a valid email address.
RECOMMENDED LINKS
TanningTruth.com
We Are Sunshine

Why Does the Vitamin D Council Recommend 5,000 IU/Day?

Thursday, March 29th, 2018

By Dr. John Cannell, Vitamin D Council

Where did the Vitamin D Council get its recommendation that adults take 5,000 IU/day of vitamin D3 for the rest of their life? The Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board say 600 IU/day is enough for adults, and the Endocrine Society says 2,000 IU/day is enough for most adults.

We think the safest thing to do while all the research is going on is to maintain natural vitamin D levels. By natural, we mean those levels obtained by those with natural sun exposure, such as lifeguards, some roofers and gardeners, and others who work in the sun and expose a lot of skin to sunshine. This is how our ancestors behaved throughout our evolutionary history.

The best study that examined the vitamin D levels of people who get plenty of sun exposure was published last year. Researchers discovered that free-living hunter-gatherers living around the African equator (where humans evolved) have average vitamin D levels of 46 ng/ml (115 nmol/L).

Most people will not have their blood tested unless their doctor recommends it. So we needed a recommended dose that:

  • Is easy to obtain at most pharmacies.
  • Will get at least 97% of people above 30 ng/ml.
  • Will get most people above 40 ng/ml, and close to around 50 ng/ml.
  • Will not cause anyone to get toxic levels.

When we decided on a recommendation with the four goals above in mind, we also had to take into account body weight. Besides genetics, body weight is the single biggest determinate of vitamin D levels. The more you weigh, the more vitamin D you need to take.

Professor Robert Heaney of Creighton University details in the study below just how high vitamin D supplementation/input needs to be to reach the vitamin D level goals above.

Together with his coauthors, Professor Heaney stated that for a normal weight adult, 5,000 IU/day of total input was needed to obtain a vitamin D level of 40 ng/ml. Of course the final vitamin D level obtained by any dose depends on baseline level, sun exposure and genetics. But he was speaking of the average adult.

For those who want a more careful calculation, he stated his data showed that 70-80 IU/day/kg of body weight total input is needed to obtain a 25(OH)D of 40 ng/ml. That works out to about 35 IU/day/pound. So a 100-pound woman would need 3,500 IU/day of total input but a 300-pound lineman would need 10,500 IU/day. Keep in mind this is total input, which includes sunlight, diet and supplements.

Taking all these factors into account, we conclude a recommendation of 5,000 IU/day is about right for the average adult.

 

 

SmartTan.com news articles regularly report medical and scientific information to keep you abreast of current events related to UV light. This information is not intended to be used by any party to make unwarranted health claims to promote sunbed usage. Indoor tanning businesses are obligated to communicate a fair and balanced message to all clients about your products and services including the potential risks associated with indoor tanning. Contact your Smart Tan representative to find out more about what you can and can’t say in your tanning salon business.

© 2018 International Smart Tan Network. All rights reserved.


800-652-3269
Canada
866-795-3755