Boosting Vitamin D
Not enough or too much?

Summary

A long-awaited report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), “Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D,” calls for increasing daily vitamin D intake. Yet some experts say these new recommendations are still too low in vitamin D. Why do these nutrition specialists disagree? This Forum webcast examined the question, “Boosting Vitamin D: Not enough or too much?

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Presented in Collaboration with Reuters

Background Articles

Image Credit: Getty Images/amanaimagesRF

  • Robin Herman

    It is an interesting paradox that sunscreen, while protecting from cancer-causing radiation, reduces the skin’s capacity to synthesize vitamin D, vital to bone health. This creates a conundrum for dermatologists who, while looking out for one aspect of their patients’ health, may be compromising another.

  • Anglina Anglina

    The effects of vitamin D supplementation on health is uncertain

  • Sally May

    I’ve always found it intuitively wrong to believe that there is a one-size-fits-all ‘level’ of vitamin D for all ethnic groups or the need for supplementation of any sort. My ancestors, Northern Europeans, lived to a ripe old age without worrying about levels. All of our ancestors protected their skin from the sun and insects with clothing. There were no shorts or tank tops, they would have been thrown in jail for indecency.

    Which brings me to my point. My father in law, who is now 93, has spent minimal time outside for the past 12 years. He eats meat, bread and fruit, does not eat dairy and few vegetables. His vitamin D level is normal. That’s right, normal. Why? How is that possible, if all the research is correct?