When it comes to food, fortified milk and orange juice, as well as egg yolks and some types of mushrooms (UV-irradiated) contain small (virtually obsolete) amounts of vitamin D2 (the much less bioavailable and effective form of the micronutrient). Native food sources of vitamin D3 include some fatty fish, like salmon, for example.
Even just to meet the RDA (ie, 600 IU for healthy adults, based on the National Academies) to avoid bone health problems, you should drink more than six glasses of fortified milk one day, 12 whole eggs, or a 3.5-ounce serving of sockeye salmonAnd the experts agree: 600 IU is not nearly enough of the fat-soluble nutrient to move the needle on the status of vitamin D to reach (and maintain!) healthy levels.
As mentioned above, the nationwide rates of frank vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency [i.e., 25(OH)D blood test results less than 20 ng/ml or 30 ng/ml] among adults is 29% and 41%, respectively. But racial inequalities clearly exist, with 82% of African Americans and almost 70% of Latin Americans experiencing D deficiency.
If we just look at how much vitamin D we put in our mouths every day, nationally representative research shows that between 93 Y 100% of the US population do not consume even a pinch of 400 IU of vitamin D per day.
With this in mind, Holick recommends that all of his clients take a vitamin d supplement every day, regardless of the season. Drake agrees, stating that the Linus Pauling Institute recommends that healthy adults in general take 2,000 IU of Vitamin D supplement every day.but noticing that reaching ideal blood levels of vitamin D (ie, above the “danger zone” of 30 ng/mL insufficiency and within the coveted 50 ng/mL range) may require an even higher dose of supplementation.
vice president of scientific affairs at mbg, Ashley Jordan Ferira, Ph.D., RDNbreaks down exactly how many vitamin D we need to reach healthy serum levels: “pharmacokinetic research shows that 100 IU of vitamin D is needed to increase the serum D levels of a normal-weight adult by about 10 ng/mL. So that means to achieve 50 ng/ml, you need 5,000 IU of vitamin D per day.” She elaborates, saying “given that two-thirds of our nation are dealing with being overweight or obese, our daily vitamin D needs as a country are actually higher, but 5,000 IU is a great starting point.”
If you’re trying to do some quick mental math to figure out how many servings of milk, eggs, or fish you need to eat to get 5,000 IU of vitamin D a day, we’ll save you the trouble: It’s much. Too much, it would be fair to argue. Simply put, daily vitamin D supplementation is the most effective way to achieve sufficient levels of vitamin D and maintain whole-body health.*
(Looking for a truly effective D3 supplement to help you achieve sufficient vitamin D status and keep it there? Check out our summary of vitamin d supplements.)
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