In this article we will be discussing a very common question: vitamin d3 safe dose range. It’s quite a sensitive & complex subject, as such we will do our best at providing a clear and concise article to clear any doubts you may have.
What Is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that’s involved in many essential body functions. There are two forms of vitamin D in the diet and supplements: Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol): found in some mushrooms. Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol): found in oily fish, fish liver oil, and egg yolks.
D3 is the more powerful of the two types and raises vitamin D levels almost twice as much as D2
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Ne produced in the skin in amounts estimated up to 25,000 international units (IUs) a day by the action of UVB radiation on 7-dehydrocholesterol. Vitamin D deficiency is common due to both lack of adequate sun exposure to the skin, and because vitamin D is present in very few food sources.
During this time, we have admitted over 4700 patients, the vast majority of whom agreed to supplementation with either 5000 or 10,000 IUs/day. There have been no cases of vitamin D3 induced hypercalcemia or any adverse events attributable to vitamin D3 supplementation in any patient. Three patients with psoriasis showed marked clinical improvement in their skin using 20,000 to 50,000 IUs/day.
My Recommended Daily Dose For Vitamin D In Older Adults
For most older adults, I recommend a supplement of vitamin D 1000 IU/day. I do this because:
The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) recommends that clinicians tell older patients to take vitamin D 1000 IU/day, to help prevent fractures. I also do this because:
Many older adults have risk factors for vitamin D deficiency.
These include having osteoporosis and spending limited time outdoors. The skin becomes less able to synthesize vitamin D as people get older. Some research has suggested it can help reduce falls, other research hasn’t confirmed this finding.
In the vast majority of older people, taking vitamin D 1000 IU as a supplement every day has very low risk of harm. Research suggests that taking vitamin D 1000 IU/day will prevent low vitamin D levels in most older adults. For people aged 71+, they recommended 800 IU/day.
I call this the “healthy aging” dose of daily vitamin D.
For people who are already taking a multivitamin or calcium supplement, they should check to see how much vitamin D is already included, as they may already be getting 1000 IU from those supplements.
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D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain caused by a condition called osteomalacia in adults.
People at high risk of not getting enough vitamin D, all children aged 1 to 4, and all babies (unless they’re having more than 500ml of infant formula a day) should take a daily supplement throughout the year. But there is currently not enough evidence to support taking vitamin D solely to prevent or treat COVID-19.