Vitamin D plays an important role in bone and immune health, but many people fail to get sufficient amount of this essential vitamin from their diet or from exposure to sunlight. To ensure that your vitamin D levels stay in a healthy range, you may consider taking a vitamin D supplement. To learn more about vitamin D supplements and a maximum safe and effective dosage, talk to your doctor.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D plays an essential part in how your body absorbs calcium. If you are vitamin D deficient, you may develop problems with your bones. Vitamin D deficiencies are also linked to chronic health conditions such as cancer as well as hypertension, the National Institutes of Health explain. Vitamin D deficiencies are diagnosed through a simple blood test that measures the amount of vitamin D in your blood. If you are found to be vitamin D deficient, your doctor may recommend that you take a vitamin D supplement to achieve normal blood levels of vitamin D.
Standard Dosage
Depending on age, the Food and Drug Administration recommends taking between 600 and 800 IU of vitamin D per day. According to the National Institutes of Health, with the exception of young infants, everyone under the age of 70 is advised to take 600 IU of vitamin D from dietary or supplement sources daily. Adults older than 70 should get 800 IU of vitamin D daily. During summer months, most people make adequate vitamin D in their skin as a result of sun exposure. In the absence of sunlight, vitamin D can be found in food sources such as fish and fortified milk or from specific vitamin D supplements.
Maximum Daily Doses
To avoid the possibility of vitamin D toxicity, adults should not take more than 4,000 U of vitamin D each day, according to the National Institutes of Health. While the maximum recommended dose for vitamin D is 4,000 IU per day, healthy adults are unlikely to have any symptoms of toxicity at doses of 5,000 IU or even 10,000 IU daily, according to a report published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition". The Vitamin D Council notes that vitamin D toxicity likely begins when people take 60,000 IU of vitamin D daily. If you are diagnosed with a vitamin D deficiency, ask your doctor which vitamin D supplement can best restore your vitamin D levels.
Highest Single Dose
In rare circumstances of severe vitamin D deficiency, a doctor may recommend that you or your child take a very high dose of vitamin D. In these cases, you will likely be prescribed a prescription strength vitamin D supplement. MayoClinic.com explains that people with rickets caused by vitamin D deficiency may be told to take a one-time dose of 600,000 IU of vitamin D.
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