News: Most North Americans are getting enough vitamin D

So, it looks like most of us may be getting enough vitamin D after all.  New vitamin D guidelines released Tuesday by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies in the U.S., state that most American and Canadians are in fact getting adequate amounts of the so-called sunshine vitamin. The Institute of Medicine (IMO) reviewed nearly 1,300 published studies and national blood surveys to reach their results.

The new guidelines do recommend 600 IU of vitamin D for people under the age of 70, and that’s slightly higher than Health Canada’s current recommendation of 200 IU per day for people ages 2 to 50. However, this new  intake level is lower than what’s currently recommended by other health organizations (the Canadian Cancer Society advises adults take 1,000 IU daily in fall and winter months, for example).

It seems as though the popular belief has been that those of us who live in northern climes are sorely lacking in vitamin D, and people have been popping supplements like candy in the hopes of warding off everything from cancer to the common cold. But the IMO’s new report states that ingesting too much of the stuff can result in kidney and heart damage. Yikes.

Will you think twice before popping a handful of vitamin D supplements today?

Related:
‘ 5 myths and truths about vitamin D
‘ The best sources of vitmain D
‘ News: Ontario latest province to stop covering vitamin D tests for everyone