Vitamin D Takes A Hit

Faithful readers of this blog (May 18 and August 29) have read my railings against Vitamin D for some time now. It never made sense to me that so many Americans were deemed to be Vitamin D deficient nor did it make much sense that as people got heavier that their blood test for Vitamin D would report lower levels although they wouldn't develop any deficiency symptoms. I even raised the question if it was possible that fat stored Vitamin D (fat soluble) is available to the body when needed.  While this question remains unanswered, the question of what defines a Vitamin D deficiency just got a new answer and I think it makes sense.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) just revised the guidelines for what defines a Vitamin D deficiency.

First, a little about the IOM.  The Institute of Medicine (IOM) is an independent, nonprofit organization that

works outside of government to provide unbiased and authoritative advice to decision makers and the public. 

Established in 1970, the IOM is the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences, which was chartered under President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Nearly 150 years later, the National Academy of Sciences has expanded into what is collectively known as the National Academies, which comprises the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Research Council, and the IOM.

Under the new IOM guidelines, you are considered to have adequate Vitamin D levels if your level is above 20 ng/mL. The previous level was 30 ng/mL. In one fell swoop, the IOM has essentially removed almost all Americans from the category of being Vitamin D deficient. 

You will no doubt hear push-back from those quarters that make money peddling Vitamin D and related advice, but you should essentially ignore them. The IOM is trustworthy.

So if you didn't have enough reasons yet to push aside your multivitamins and Vitamin D supplements, perhaps this one will do the trick for you.

For the umpteenth time, eat whole foods including a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains and Wild Salmon and you will consume all the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and all the other health promoting nutrients you need for a healthy mind and body. Get 15-30 minutes of sun each day (earlier or later in the day and avoid reddening) and Vitamin D is also well covered. (You also get it from Wild Salmon.)

The key to a healthy life is to eat healthy every day.