How much Vitamin D should you have daily?
Until recently, much was unknown about the role vitamin D plays in the body and with the musculoskeletal system.  For several years, it was good practice to supplement the diet with vitamin D in order to prevent the development of softening of the bone seen in Rickets.  Today, with scientific research much more information has become available regarding the importance of vitamin D within the body.  It has been found that vitamin D in its active form actually acts similar to a hormone in that it is used to regulate several functions within the human body.  Not only does Vitamin D regulate blood calcium levels, but it also helps to normalize function of the musculoskeletal system and even the immune system.  Researchers have actually found vitamin D receptors on virtually every type of tissue in the body meaning that its action may be to regulate function of several organ systems.  Some research is now indicating that vitamin D is essential in preventing auto-immune disease, musculoskeletal pain, and even cancer.

Now that we know that vitamin D is important to overall health, how much does an individual need to stay healthy?  The optimal range of vitamin D in the blood should be between 40 and 100. Any vitamin D level below 40 is seen as deficient, while a level above 150 may reach toxicity level.  Therefore, it is essential that people stay within the therapeutic range in order to stay healthy.

How does a person achieve maintaining a normal vitamin D level? Vitamin D can be obtained in three different ways.  The first way is through creation in the skin.  When the skin is exposed to UVB rays from the sun without use of sunscreen, the skin will create an adequate amount of vitamin D3 within 10 to 15 minutes.  Longer sun exposure is not necessary as vitamin D3 production wanes after this amount of time, and the skin becomes at risk for sunburn after an unprotected exposure of 10 or 15 minutes.  The second method is through the diet.  There are no good sources of natural vitamin D in the typical American diet; however, many foods are fortified with vitamin D3.  Dairy products are most commonly fortified and can provide some supplementation of vitamin D.  The third method of supplementation is through oral vitamin administration.  A person can take vitamin D2 or vitamin D3 as a vitamin supplement.  Vitamin D2 is most commonly prescribed as a 50,000iu supplement to be taken orally once weekly or once monthly.  Vitamin D3 is commonly seen in over the counter vitamin supplements and actually is used by the body more efficiently than vitamin D2.  Vitamin D3 may actually be 2 to 4 times more potent than vitamin D2 supplementation.

How much vitamin D3 supplementation should one take to remain healthy?  According to the latest research, an individual should take no less than 1000iu daily of vitamin D3 to avoid vitamin D deficiency.  However, it is recommended that people take 2000iu to 4000iu daily of vitamin D3 in addition to eating foods fortified with vitamin D3 and getting a safe amount of sunlight.  The best recommendation for patients is to ensure a good vitamin D level by eating enriched foods, enjoying the sun in safe doses, and supplementing with 2000iu of vitamin D3 daily.

Source: Leavitt, S. B. (2008) Vitamin D: a neglected ‘analgesic’ for chronic musculoskeletal pain.  Obtained on the World Wide Web: http://Pain-Topics.org/VitaminD

We recommend purchasing Thera-D from Theralogix as a reliable, proven, high quality source for dietary supplementation of Vitamin D3.