British citizens are now being advised to take vitamin D pills. For years, UK doctors told their patients: “Just eat a well-balanced diet, no supplements needed.”
That advice should sound familiar, since it is the same message that US doctors have been offering.
New Recommendations for Britons Feature Vitamin D Pills:
But the public health experts have now recognized that in Great Britain it is too difficult to get enough sunshine to make adequate vitamin D. So they are recommending a supplement of 400 International Units per day for everyone.
Recommendations for Americans:
Here in the US, the Institute of Medicine suggests a daily supplement of 600 International Units for most people.
Is a 600 IU Pill Enough Vitamin D?
Some experts believe that dose is too low. They argue that people exposed to sun all day would make around 5,000 to 10,000 IU daily through exposed skin. They think that 5,000 IU would be a more appropriate level for vitamin D pills unless people can get their vitamin D the old fashioned way by going out in the sun.
Bottom Line from The People’s Pharmacy
We are not at all convinced that 600 IU is an adequate intake of vitamin D. We await large, well-controlled trials that actually administer vitamin D3 pills daily or a placebo and track a number of health conditions for a long period of time. Until those studies are completed we will not know the benefits or risks of supplementation.
We do think that low levels of vitamin D circulating in the body are clearly linked to a number of serious health problems including cancer. If you would like to learn more about measuring vitamin D levels and our recommendations for optimal target levels, here is a link to our Guide to Vitamin D Deficiency.
6/18/18 redirected to:https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/will-vitamin-d-pills-help-you-avoid-cancer/
