Dosage For Vitamin D Deficiency Treatments

The debate on vitamin D supplement dosages is a hot topic between many physicians, researchers and organizations. While they argue what the recommended blood serum level should be and the amount necessary to maintain that level, the treatment for vitamin D deficiencies is, for the most part, uniform. The Institute of Medicine recommends that vitamin D deficiency be treated with 50,000 international units of vitamin D-2 once a week for eight weeks. After that initial treatment, patients are recommended to be given either 50,000 IU of D-2 every two to four weeks or 1,000 IU D-3 or 3,000 IU D-2 per day. However, some deficiency scenarios require a little different treatment. Before beginning any type of supplemental treatment program, consult your doctor and have your vitamin D level evaluated.

Pediatric Vitamin-D-Deficient Rickets

Vitamin-D-deficient rickets causes a defective mineralization of cartilage in the growth plate of developing bones. It can cause widening of the long end bones, skeletal deformities and growth retardation. According to the University of Chicago Pediatrics, the treatment consists of 800 to 1,000 IU daily until the skeletal deformities return to normal and the vitamin D levels are stabilized.

Obesity

Patients who are considered obese with a body mass index of 30 or greater are at a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D is fat soluble and becomes trapped in excessive fat stores and is not available when the body needs it. According to Hadley Wood Healthcare, a new study is currently ongoing, but preliminary results show that physicians need to take into account patients' BMI when determining the dosage amount for vitamin D supplementation and may need to increase the traditional dosage.

Autoimmune Diseases

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to the possible development of autoimmune diseases, and many researchers believe that an increase in vitamin D supplementation is needed in order to maintain a level of vitamin D necessary to ward off these diseases. While the current recommended supplement dose for adults is 600 IU of vitamin D a day by the Food and Nutrition Board, genetic researcher Sreeram Ramagopalan suggests 2,000 IU daily is needed to prevent disease. The Vitamin D Council goes even further by recommending 5,000 IU a day for disease prevention.

Cancer Prevention

Numerous studies have begun to show a connection with vitamin D and certain cancers, especially breast and colorectal cancers. Like with autoimmune disease, researchers believe that vitamin deficiencies or inadequacies can contribute to the development of these cancers. They push the need for increased vitamin D intake and recommend 2,000 IU be supplemented each day to minimize the risk.