Is 50 ng of vitamin D too high, just right, or not enough

Overview of the controversy

• A few governments say 10 ng is OK

• Some governments say 20 ng is OK

• Some governments say 30 ng is OK

• Most experts say 40 ng is good

• Some experts say 50 ng is much better for disease prevention

• A few people think that > 80 ng is needed to deal with possible vitamin D restrictions due to genes

  • One doctor found that >80 ng was the right level for 2,000 patients in his clinic

  • Health problems that run in families are often associated with low vitamin D

• Some experts say 50 ng is too much

• Some concern that >40 ng may be too much if taking some fixed chemotherapy or not adjust cofactors

• Some experts feel 50 ng is not enough to TREAT some diseases

• Consensus: 0 ng is bad and 30 ng is good/ok

  Notional Graph of Expert Opinions of levels with Vitamin D MONOTHERAPY

Note: Monotherapy just increases vitamin D levels, and rarely adjusts the cofactor intake (Ca, Mg, Vitamin K2, Omega-3, etc)

Vitamin D needed to TREAT Health problems (30 ng to 150 ng)

✻ Evolution of experiments with patients, often also need co-factors

At Vitamin D Life - need 20 - 49 ng

• Stress fractures 2X less frequent when vitamin D more than 40 ng – June 2011

• Lung cancer not reduced when vitamin D levels were less than 40 ng – June 2011

• Four reasons why vitamin D levels should be higher than 30 ng – Aug 2011

• Osteoporosis Canada Sept 2010 >30ng/ml

• Mortality reduced 30 percent when vitamin D increase by 20 ng, 35ng/ml optimal? – Dec 2011

• Traditionally living Africans have 46 ng vitamin D levels – Jan 2012

• Linus Pauling Institute >32 ng - Dec 2011

• Increasing the vitamin D level of all Canadians to 40 ng would save 6 to 18 billion dollars a year – Grant Nov 2016

• Much less depression if more than 43 ng of vitamin D – Oct 2012

• Best heart geometry associated with vitamin D of 30-37 ng – Oct 2012

• More than 30 ng of vitamin D probably needed for long-latency diseases – Aug 2012

• Semen worse when vitamin D lower than 20 or higher than 50 ng – Oct 2012

• Teens no longer depressed after vitamin D raised to 36 ng – Feb 2012

• Hawaiians had 39 ng of vitamin D - July 2011

• Vitamin D: what clinicians need to know - Aug 2012 30-50 ng

• European Osteo group recommends 20-50 ng of vitamin D – Jan 2013

• 30 to 50 ng of vitamin D is optimal – Central Europe consensus Sept 2013

• Vitamin D supplementation guidelines (adults – 50,000 IU per week) – Feb 2017

• Critically Ill or injured patients need 30-50 ng of Vitamin D – Matthews March 2020

• More than 30 ng of vitamin D is needed for many diseases - Feb 2022

• 

At Vitamin D Life - 50 - 60 ng

• Type 1 Diabetic inflammation reduced by 50 ng of Vitamin D - Dec 2024

• Many diseases prevented if Vitamin D level higher than 50 ng -Sunil June 2024

• Rheumatic Diseases often treated by Vitamin D, may need 40-60 ng – Oct 2021

• Less muscle inflammation after exercise if high level of Vitamin D (50 ng) -July 2021

• Saudi study defines normal Vitamin D level to be 50 to 70 ng (diabetes, etc.) - June 2020

• NCAA trainers are getting on board the Vitamin D train (40-50 ng)– Nov 2019

• More than 30 ng of vitamin D is sometimes needed (Kidney needs 50 ng) – March 2019

• Vitamin D is needed for human fertility – goal is 50 ng – Sept 2018

• Vitamin D - at least 4,000 IU to achieve 40-60 ng and reduce risk of early death – Holick June 2018

• Need 51 ng to avoid premature ejaculation 2018

• Psoriasis reduced for those getting Vitamin D levels above 50 ng – RCT Feb 2018

• Healthy Pregnancies and infants for women having 40 – 80 ng of vitamin D – Nov 2017

• Vitamin D (40-70 ng) in Children’s Health – review Sept 2014

• Little risk of infection after surgery if have more than 50 ng of vitamin D - 2014

• Prevent half of T1 Diabetes with vitamin D levels of 50 ng – Dec 2012

• Vitamin D decreases incidence of disease many charts showing great benefits 40-60 ng

• Need 30-60 ng of vitamin D for good health – Grant Jan 2011

• USANA 50 ng/ml with graph

• Dr Oz recommends 50 ng/ml vitamin D blood level May 2010

• GrassrootsHealth.net 41 experts 40-60 ng/ml after IoM report

• Polish conference recommended vitamin D levels from 30 to 60 ng – Oct 2012

• Elite outdoor athletes had 52 ng of vitamin D – March 2013

• Populations with more than 50 ng of vitamin D

• A group of 6,000 people have vitamin D levels higher than 50 ng – GrassrootsHealth

• Many more people now have vitamin D levels above 50 ng, especially seniors – May 2015

• Vitamin D is needed for human fertility – goal is 50 ng – Sept 2018

• Best Vitamin D- 40 to 52 ng, achieved with 4000 – 6000 IU daily – Heaney Oct 2014

• Sports benefits from up to 50 ng of Vitamin – meta-analysis - Nov 2012

At Vitamin D Life - need > 60 ng

• Supplement preterm infants with vitamin D if less than 80 ng – RCT Sept 2021

• Saudi study defines normal Vitamin D level to be 50 to 70 ng (diabetes, etc.) - June 2020

• Parkinson’s Disease Summer School – therapies included 60-80 ng of Vitamin D – Sept 2019

• Pure North (Calgary) improves health by raising vitamin D to 60 ng

• Vitamin D treats and prevents a variety of eye problems (need 70 ng) – June 2018

• Autism treated by Vitamin D (80 – 120 ng) – Cannell update May 2018

• Vitamin D (40-70 ng) in Children’s Health – review Sept 2014

• Noticed bones heal faster when >60 ng of vitamin D

• Vitamin D should be 48 ng-90 ng – Heaney Sept 2011

• Need at least 80 ng of vitamin D if have chronic kidney disease – May 2012

• Need at least 80 ng of vitamin D if have chronic kidney disease – May 2012

• Many sleep disorders cured with vitamin D levels of 60 to 80 nanograms – May 2012

• Treatment (not just prevention) seems to require higher levels of vitamin D.

  • Example:Clinical Trial: Colon Cancer and 80-100 ng

• Vitamin D level can be high, but little benefit: due to kidney, genes, low Magnesium etc.

• Dr. who got patients to vitamin D level of 80 ng - went out of business, patients became too healthy

• Autoimmune diseases such as MS treated/reversed - 150 ng of vitamin D

• Comparing High-dose vitamin D therapies 60-150 ng

• Healthy Pregnancies and infants for women having 40 – 80 ng of vitamin D – Nov 2017

May 2023 study 30-60 ng

At Vitamin D Life - COVID

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At Vitamin D Life - Optimal/Treatment

• Vitamin D sufficiency 10 to 30 ng, optimal 40 to 80 ng (no consensus)– May 2018

• Sleep disorders cured by 60-80 ng of vitamin D and some B vitamins – March 2013

• Optimum Vitamin D level: Evidence for 30 and 40 ng – Grant Aug 2013

• Update on Treating Multiple Sclerosis with high dose vitamin D - Sept 2013 150 ng

• Need 40 to 80 ng of vitamin D to lose weight – Colgan Sept 2013

• Vitamin D of 32 to 60 ng is needed before, during, and after pregnancy – Dec 2012

• More than 30 ng of vitamin D probably needed for long-latency diseases – Aug 2012

• How often might 50,000 IU vitamin D be taken - results of clinical trials

• Need at least 80 ng of vitamin D if have chronic kidney disease – May 2012

• All items in category Optimum Vitamin D items

At Vitamin D Life - other

• Hypothesis by Vitamin D Life – Vitamin D levels are no longer limited by evolution

• All items in category How Much Vitamin D items

• Consensus Vitamin D category listing has items along with related searches

• Overview Vitamin D Recommendations

• Same dose of vitamin D for everyone is virtually impossible - Dec 2015

• Recommendation by 25 experts most were 30-100 ng - 2010

Some indications that >40 or >50 ng may sometimes cause some problems

• Too little of cofactors such as Magnesium, Vitamin K2, etc.

• Too much of co-factor Calcium (probably just 500-750 mg]

• D interactions with some prescription drugs

• 40 ng Vitamin D perhaps optimal for reduced mortality – Meta-analysis Jan 2012

• U shaped risk curves at high latitudes that is, increasing disease risk for high levels of vitamin D

  • Veith 2011 - in latitudes with high UVB fluctuation

  • Dr. Grant believes this is due to long follow-up time - see bottom of this page

• Even if a J curve exists, it is 50X better to give vitamin D than not give it – May 2013

• Too much Vitamin D category listing has items along with related searches

• Perhaps increase fraility if > 40 ng see following graph

Agreement: 50 ng is NOT TOXIC

• Toxicity level 300 ng

• Dr Norman - risk of Toxicity >150 ng

U Shaped curve due to long follow-up time, not latitude - by Dr. Grant

The U-shaped relationship comes only from prospective studies with long follow-up times.

In my considered opinion, it is an artifact of the long follow-up time, not high latitude.

References (some of which are in Vitamin D Life)

• Robien K, Cutler GJ, Lazovich D. Vitamin D intake and breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women: the Iowa Women's Health Study. Cancer Causes Control. 2007 Sep;18(7):775-82.

• Lim U, Freedman DM, Hollis BW, Horst RL, Purdue MP, Chatterjee N, Weinstein SJ, Morton LM, Schatzkin A, Virtamo J, Linet MS, Hartge P, Albanes D. A prospective investigation of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and risk of lymphoid cancers. Int J Cancer. 2009 Feb 15;124(4):979-86.

• Grant WB. Effect of interval between serum draw and follow-up period on relative risk of cancer incidence with respect to 25-hydroxyvitamin D level; implications for meta-analyses and setting vitamin D guidelines, Dermato- Endocrinology, 2011 July, Aug Sept.;3(3) epub (lag) http://www.landesbioscience.com/journals/dermatoendocrinology/article/15364/

• Grant WB. Additional strong evidence that optimal serum 25(OH)D levels are at least 75 nmol/l. Int J Epi 2011 40: 1005-1007.

Chart of Vitamin D levels vs race - April 2013

• Nigerian albinos have vitamin D levels of 96 ng – Oct 2019

See also Google Scholar

• "50 ng and "vitamin D: 22,600 items as of Dec 2024

• "60 ng and "vitamin D: 5,600 items as of Jan 2024

• "80 ng and "vitamin D: 4,000 items as of Jan 2024

• (optimal+OR+optimum) "Vitamin+D" 611,000 items as of Jan 2024

  • Note: need to also search for: 125 nmol, 150 nmol, 200 nmol

See also web - vitamin D test "reference range" = 20-100 ng

• Quest Diagnostics 20-100 ng Nov 2013, Dec 2016, March 2019. April 2021

Grassroots Health infographic 40-60 ng (2020)

49+ pages have 50 ng in the Vitamin D Life title

This list is automatically updated

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short URL = http://is.gd/Dlevels