Vitamin D Revisited - - New Suggested Minimum Daily Requirement

Dr. Andrew Weil, in his daily tip...

Vitamin D, which is often referred to as the "sunshine vitamin," is actually a fat-soluble hormone that the body can synthesize naturally. We need vitamin D to facilitate calcium absorption and to promote bone mineralization, as well as for protection against a number of serious diseases. We get vitamin D through foods such as fortified milk and cereals as well as eggs, salmon, tuna and mackerel, and our bodies make vitamin D with exposure to sunlight, but even with sufficient sun exposure and eating a healthy variety of foods, many people still need supplements to obtain an optimum amount of vitamin D. This is especially true for seniors, as our ability to synthesize vitamin D decreases with age.

As part of my ongoing commitment to promoting optimal health, I am making a new recommendation concerning vitamin D, raising my recommendation for vitamin D intake from 1,000 IU to 2,000 IU per day. This may sound like quite a jump, but clinical evidence has been accumulating to suggest that the higher dose is more appropriate to help maintain optimum health. You can learn more about my recommendation changes in the Vitamin Advisor.

Dr. Andrew Weil
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/TIP03581/A-New-Dosage-for-Vitamin-D.html