May 30, 2017 – Vitamin D Levels

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Anchor lead: Should you take a vitamin D supplement? Elizabeth Tracey reports

Are you getting enough vitamin D or should you take a supplement? That question is even more important in light of research by cardiologist Erin Michos and colleagues at Johns Hopkins showing that vitamin D as well as exercise were important in staving off cardiovascular disease. Michos describes what’s known right now.

Michos: If your vitamin D levels are above 20 ng/ml there’s probably little evidence that more is better. So you need to have adequate vitamin D levels for bone health but once you reach that threshold there is decreasing gain. I think that individuals who are already getting the recommended amount and have adequate blood levels, they don’t need supplements.  But there might be a role for vitamin D supplements  for people who have a deficiency, based on a blood level that’s less than 20ng/ml of vitamin D.    :31

So find out if you really need a supplement before taking one. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.