Increased risk for metabolic syndrome may be a result of insufficient levels of vitamin D.

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Some labs in the US have been using 30 nanograms of vitamin D per milliliter of blood as the cut off for deciding if a person is deficient or not. The report pointed out that if this was used as a standard, 80 percent of the population would fall into the deficient bracket. In order to achieve a level above 30 nanograms per ml most people would need to take supplements. A level of 20 to 30 nanograms is all that is needed for bone health, according to the committee. The experts concluded that evidence for the benefits of high levels of vitamin D was "inconsistent and/or conflicting and did not demonstrate causality." They were also of the opinion that excessive Vitamin D could in fact increase risk of fractures, rate of other diseases and death rate.

They also studied national data on diets and found that most people got enough calcium from the foods they ate- about 1,000 milligrams a day for most adults (1,200 for women ages 51 to 70).

Vitamin D is more complicated, the committee stated. Most people may not get adequate vitamin D from their diets, but exposure to the sun helps them synthesise enough of the vitamin D to take care of their needs.

Andrew Shao, an executive vice president at the council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade group, was of the opinion that the panel was being too cautious, especially in the case of vitamin D.

While the above report questions the need for supplementation and the need for higher blood levels of the nutrients, several other studies have demonstrated the benefits of higher blood levels. One such study which shows the impact of vitamin D on metabolic syndrome is given below.

The need of the hour is to have uniformity in recommendations in order to avoid contradiction and confusion.

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User Comments

01 August, 2011 | Vijayalakshmi Iyengar | Reply

Newer studies (Nov 2010) suggest that we may need more vitamin D than presently recommended to prevent chronic disease. Emerging research supports the possible role of vitamin D in protecting against cancer, heart disease, fractures and falls, autoimmune diseases, influenza, type 2 diabetes, and depression. Many health care providers have increased their recommendations for vitamin D supplementation to at least 1,000 IU. Its best you consult our personal primary physicians to see if you are getting sufficient Vit D.

06 December, 2010 | Sunil kumble | Reply

What are the vegetarian sources of Vitamin D? Are vegetarians more prone to defeciency than non vegetarians? Can increasing diary products for calcium make up for reduced Vitamin D ?

07 December, 2010 | Poonam | Reply

Hello Mr Kumble,
Fortunately, adequate exposure to sunlight can take care of the daily requirement of vitamin D for vegetarians, so they must consciously increase their exposure to the sun (taking care of the factors which affect vitamin D synthesis). Unfortified dairy products do not contain large amounts of vitamin D.

10 January, 2011 | Sunil Kumble | Reply

Hello Ms Poonam
Recently there was an article in the papers in N.Delhi that studies have shown that exposure to sunlight is not sufficient for VIT D requirement and most Indians suffer from a deficiency they may need supplementation. Is that correct?

11 January, 2011 | Poonam | Reply

Hello Mr Kumble,
Fortunately, India has plenty of sunlight, but, Indians probably do not get adequate exposure to the UVB rays which are needed for the synthesis of Vitamin D. Indians also need longer exposure because dark skin interferes with the absorption of the rays. These could be some of the reasons for the deficiency.

25 January, 2011 | sukumar | Reply

dear madam, i have found vitamin D deficiency, my value is 11 ng/ml, i am taking arachitol 3lac IU every month. do you have any vitamin D tablets. and my PTH, calcium, phosphorous levels normal. you reply me by mail. do you have any wellness centre in bangalore

05 December, 2010 | Anjali Manglik | Reply

Thnx.
Good to know.
Good reading.

05 December, 2010 | Manoj-Bhasin | Reply

all elders in my family have strong bones and have lived long lives without any broken bones. Do genes play a role in protecting you and your bones.
Do I need supplements knowing I probably have good genes for strong bones.

06 December, 2010 | Vijayalakshmi Iyengar | Reply

Hello Mr Bhasin
Even if you are genetically predisposed to strong bones it largely depends on your diet- for Calcium and Vitamin D, your exposure to sun, your activity, your constitution and a whole lot of other things to determine if you as an individual have strong bones. Unless we know your daily diet composition & portion size, your activity history & and current regular activity level we cannot comment on whether you receive sufficient nourishment to compliment your genes.
We suggest you register on our site for at least 1 month and enter the daily diet and activity log to get more answers.
Thank You

05 December, 2010 | Meena | Reply

I have my breakfast of cereal and milk and some fruit and then go for my daily walks. Am I getting adequate Vitamin D as I walk 45 minutes specially on sunny days?
How much vitamin D does my body absorb with spending 1 hour in bright sunlight?
Is that enough?
I eat Kelloggs raisin bran which supposedly gives me enough calcium.
Do I still need more supplements?

06 December, 2010 | Vijayalakshmi Iyengar | Reply

Hello Meena
Normally for adequate Vitamin D formation in your body you probably need from 5 to 30 minutes of exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) rays in sunlight on your face, arms, back or legs (without sunscreen) twice every week. Again the amount of exposure also depends on the time of the year. In winters (Nov –Feb) especially north of the 42-degrees latitude, you may not get sufficient vitamin D so may need to consult you r GP.
With regard to intake of calcium? Can you provide us your entire day’s diet with portion sizes Meena? (Especially of calcium sources like greens, all diary products and nuts etc)
We would also like to know your age and how active you are.
Thank you

06 December, 2010 | Poonam | Reply

Hello Meena,
Usually 5-30 mins of exposure to sun is sufficient to produce the desired amount of Vitamin D in the body. The level of exposure needed depends upon skin type (dark skinned individuals need more time), age (the elderly need more exposure), climatic conditions and amount of skin exposed to the sun. Other than sun exposure a healthy diet including fish, egg yolk, fish liver oils and fortified foods help in supplying natural vitamin D to the body.
We will have to take a look at your entire day's intake to be able to tell you if your calcium intake is sufficient or not.

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