Expect increased Vitamin D recommendations up to 10,000 IU daily, etc. in 2026
Is It Time for HHS to Update Its Vitamin D Policies?
James Lyons-Weiler, PhD Substack
HHS now has an internal proposal from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (October 2025) calling for a full update to all federal Vitamin D policies. The plan includes:
- Increasing the RDA to more realistic levels (1,500–2,000 IU/day for most adults).
- Had been 600 IU
- RDA should have been 8,900 IU - IoM mistake
- Allowing a dual-tier Upper Limit, with monitored intakes up to 10,000 IU/day.
- Upper limit had been 4,000 IU/day
- Standardizing blood-testing methods nationwide.
- Including Vitamin D measurement in pregnancy care.
- Best if take Vitamin D before, during, and after pregnancy
- Best if take 6,400 IU/day or 50,000/week while pregnant
- Note: qualitative Vitamin D tests are far less expensive ($5)
- Updating food labels to clarify that Daily Value is not the same as blood level.
- Publishing a real-time Vitamin D Status Dashboard.
Further comment by VitaminDWiki
- These are great steps in the right direction, if the goal were still 30 ng
- Now, however, many organizations believe the goal should be 40-50 ng
- Some feel that the goal should be 50 ng
- Obese need 2X to 3X more Vitamin D
- Non-daily dosing (weekly or bi-weekly) has become very popular since 2010 - easier to remember, lower cost