Vit D Levels – What Should Your Vitamin D Hormone Level Be?

Vit D Levels

Many people’s vitamin D levels are very low and this is a great concern because of its importance. Many people are confused about what their vitamin D level should be because different health agencies have different recommended vitamin D level guidelines.

The Institute of Medicine recommended a sufficient vitamin D blood level of 20 ng/ml. The Endocrine Society recommended sufficiency at 30 ng/ml, and the Vitamin D Council recommended sufficiency at 40 ng/ml.

What Is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is a compound the body makes when the skin is exposed to the sun. This sets off a chemical reaction which converts cholesterol into vitamin D3.

The blood carries the vitamin D3 to the liver and the liver converts it into 25-hydroxyvitamin D, also called 25(OH)D. 25(OH)D is sent to the kidneys and the kidneys convert it into 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D or 1,25(OH)2D.

1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D or 1,25(OH)2D is also called calcitriol. Calcitriol is more accurately termed a hormone than a vitamin. Vitamin D is involved in almost every metabolic function in the body because almost every cell has a vitamin D receptor. It’s estimated that around 2,000 genes are directly or indirectly regulated by vitamin D.^[1]

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The body makes its own vitamin D from sun exposure. With adequate sun exposure it is not necessary to consume vitamin D through foods or supplements.

Organizations Recommended Levels Of Vitamin D?

The government organization Institute of Medicine recommended the lowest level of vitamin D at 600 IU/day to maintain a vitamin D blood serum level at 20 ng/ml or 50 nmol/L. The institute came up with this recommendation basically to support only bone health, before science caught up to how vital vitamin D was to the health of the entire body.

Data from this study^[2] challenged the Institute of Medicine’s recommendation. It supported the minimal level to support bone health should be 30 ng/ml or 75 nmol/L.

This study^[3] challenged the recommendation for a minimal 30ng/ml blood serum level. The study found that traditional populations of East Africa had a mean blood serum vitamin D level of 46 ng/ml or 115 nmol/L.

This study^[4] analyzed how vitamin D levels corresponded to disease and found that the higher the vitamin D levels were the lower the disease rates. The study showed a steady decrease in disease rates up to the tested 70 mg/ml or 175 nmol/L blood serum level.

Vitamin D Levels And IU

The Institute of Medicine recommended 600 IU/day to maintain the 20mg/ml and the Endocrine Society recommended 2000 IU/day to maintain the 30 ng/ml level. The Vitamin D Council recommended 5000 IU/day to maintain a minimal 40 ng/ml or 100 nmol/L vitamin D level.^[5]

Keep in mind these are minimal vitamin D levels and many people fall short of the lowest 20 mg/ml recommendation. The Vitamin D Council recommended up to 80 ng/ml vit D levels as being a sufficient. The Endocrine Society set the top level for sufficiency at 100 ng/ml. People should aim for the upper range of the recommendations for vitamin D levels instead of the minimal.

IU To Increase NG/ML

The body can make 10000 IU and above of vitamin D daily without adverse effects. Medscape lists the following dosages of IU of vitamin D as being able to increase blood levels:

• 100 IU (2.5 mcg) per day increases vitamin D blood levels 1 ng/ml (2.5 nmol/L).
• 200 IU (5 mcg) per day increases vitamin D blood levels 2 ng/ml (5 nmol/L).
• 400 IU (10 mcg) per day increases vitamin D blood levels 4 ng/ml (10 nmol/L).
• 500 IU (12.5 mcg) per day increases vitamin D blood levels 5 ng/ml (12.5 nmol/L).
• 800 IU (20 mcg) per day increases vitamin D blood levels 8 ng/ml (20 nmol/L).
• 1000 IU (25 mcg) per day increases vitamin D blood levels 10 ng/ml (25 nmol/L).
• 2000 IU (50 mcg) per day increases vitamin D blood levels 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/L).

Using these calculations 5000 IU of vitamin D would raise blood levels by 50 ng/ml and 10000 IU would raise vitamin D blood levels by 100 ng/ml.

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