Safe Upper Limit of Vitamin D Identified
A recent study confirmed that low levels of vitamin D can increase risk of death and determined a safe upper limit for vitamin D levels. The research, published by Yosef Dror et al. in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, showed that safe blood levels of vitamin D are between 20 and 36ng/mL. People with levels above or below this range were at greater risk of mortality or acute coronary syndrome.
Dror suggests that calcium supplement dosages should be specifically tailored to individuals based on levels in their blood.
The research comes from 54 months of data collection during which 422, 822 members of Clalit Health Services, an Israeli health maintenance organization, were tested for vitamin D levels. Only 3% percent of this population were at risk because of high levels of the vitamin, while 62% were at risk due to low levels of vitamin D.
Editor’s Note: Watch out for low vitamin D3. Even if a patient’s levels of D3 are in the normal range, supplementation can help antidepressants work better. According to a study published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, adding 1500 IU of vitamin D3 to the treatment regimen of depressed patients taking fluoxetine (Prozac) improved their response significantly.
