Should You Take a Vitamin D Supplement?

Are you getting enough vitamin D? If you’re like most Americans – you’re not. Three out of four Americans fall short of getting the vitamin D they need for optimal health. A deficiency of vitamin D has been linked to symptoms such as muscle weakness, fatigue, and even depression. Plus, a lack of the all-important sunshine vitamin increases the risk of a variety of diseases ranging from multiple sclerosis to heart disease. Now, more experts are jumping on board and saying that more Americans should be supplementing with vitamin D. Are you one of them?

Why is supplementing with vitamin D so important? Natural sunlight is the best source of vitamin D and most Americans aren’t spending enough time outdoors. It takes about ten minutes of sunlight on exposed skin each day to get the health benefits of vitamin D. This assumes you live in an area that gets enough direct sunlight during the cold winter months. Add to that the fact that some people – particularly the elderly and those with dark skin – don’t absorb vitamin D well and it’s easy to see why vitamin D deficiency is such a problem. To compound the problem, few foods are good sources of D with the exception of fatty fish and some fortified foods such as cereals and dairy products. It’s easy to see why many Americans aren’t getting enough vitamin D.

In the past, most experts have recommended supplementing with 400 international units of vitamin D a day for adults, but that is slowly changing as the benefits of higher levels of vitamin D are shown. Now, reputable sources such as the Harvard Heart Letter is recommending that adults supplement with up to 1,000 international units of vitamin D each day – particularly older people, those with dark skin, and people who live in areas that get less direct sunlight.

Since vitamin D can be toxic at high doses, it’s best to have a blood level checked to see if you’re low before supplementing with vitamin D. This can be easily done in your doctor’s office. Once levels are known, your doctor can advise you about the exact dose of vitamin D to take. Vitamin D supplements are usually well tolerated and people who are deficient often experience an increase in energy level and an improvement in mood once they start supplementing. Make it a point to have your vitamin D level checked. It could save your health.