Q) Why do I have to check my vitamin D levels? I’m already taking Vitamin D. Plus, my family doctor told me my levels were fine.
A) Vitamin D has emerged in the last several years as one of the most promising anti-aging “treatments” – it’s cheap, easy, and works wonders for just about every organ and cell in the entire body! For decades now, the medical community has thought that serum blood levels of Vitamin D at 32ng/ml and above were good. We couldn’t have been more off-base! We now know, that the optimal levels are >50ng/ml (I like between 60 – 80 ng/ml). At these higher levels, we can reduce the risk of many cancers, (specifically breast cancer), male heart attacks, depression, neurological disorders, auto-immune disorders, diabetes, upper respiratory disorders, falls in women, cold & flu viruses and infections at very substantial rates. The benefits of adequate Vitamin D are enormous!
Most of our patients we test for the first time are very low in Vitamin D – even those that take supplements! I have seen way too many times a patient taking 1,000 units or more daily, and they STILL have deficient or suboptimal levels! This is why we recommend knowing your blood levels. Once we know your accurate level, we can make recommendations on the appropriate amount of Vitamin D to take every day!