Vitamin D: 40-70 ng is optimal, sometimes more is needed - Grant, Sunil, Pawel, Cheng
Vitamin D: Evidence-Based Health Benefits and Recommendations for Population Guidelines
Nutrients 2025, 17(2), 277; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17020277
William B. Grant 1,Sunil J. Wimalawansa 2,Pawel Pludowski 3 and Richard Z. Cheng 4,5
Vitamin D offers numerous under-recognized health benefits beyond its well-known role in musculoskeletal health. It is vital for extra-renal tissues, prenatal health, brain function, immunity, pregnancy, cancer prevention, and cardiovascular health. Existing guidelines issued by governmental and health organizations are bone-centric and largely overlook the abovementioned extra-skeletal benefits and optimal thresholds for vitamin D. In addition, they rely on randomized controlled trials (RCTs), which seldom show benefits due to high baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations, moderate supplementation doses, and flawed study designs. This review emphasizes the findings from prospective cohort studies showing that higher 25(OH)D concentrations reduce the risks of major diseases and mortality, including pregnancy and birth outcomes.
Serum concentrations > 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L) significantly lower disease and mortality risks compared to <20 ng/mL. With 25% of the U.S. population and 60% of Central Europeans having levels <20 ng/mL, concentrations should be raised above 30 ng/mL.
This is achievable through daily supplementation with 2000 IU/day (50 mcg/day) of vitamin D3, which prevent diseases and deaths.
Furthermore, a daily dose between 4000 and 6000 IU of vitamin D3 to achieve serum 25(OH)D levels between 40 and 70 ng/mL would provide greater protection against many adverse health outcomes. Future guidelines and recommendations should integrate the findings from observational prospective cohort studies and well-designed RCTs to improve public health and personalized care.
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Summary of study by Perplexity AI
This comprehensive review examines the evidence-based health benefits of vitamin D
and recommendations for population guidelines.
Here are the key findings:
Health Benefits
Cardiovascular Disease
Higher vitamin D levels significantly reduce cardiovascular disease risk and mortality
Raising serum vitamin D above 40 ng/mL can lower blood pressure in hypertensive patients
Cancer Prevention
Vitamin D reduces cancer incidence and mortality through multiple mechanisms
Higher vitamin D levels (>60 ng/mL) associated with 80% lower breast cancer risk
Benefits seen for colorectal, prostate, lung and other cancers
Immune Function
Enhances innate and adaptive immunity
Reduces risk of respiratory infections including COVID-19
Helps prevent autoimmune conditions
Other Key Benefits
Reduces risk of diabetes and improves glycemic control
Supports brain health and reduces dementia risk
Improves pregnancy outcomes and reduces complications
Essential for bone health and dental health
Recommendations
Optimal Blood Levels
Minimum recommended level: 30 ng/mL
Optimal range: 40-70 ng/mL for most health benefits
Higher levels (80-150 ng/mL) may benefit certain conditions under medical supervision
Supplementation
Minimum recommendation: 2,000 IU/day for most adults
4,000-6,000 IU/day needed to achieve optimal blood levels
Higher doses may be required for obesity, certain health conditions
Limitations of Current Guidelines
The review critiques the 2024 Endocrine Society guidelines for:
Being too conservative in dosing recommendations
Overlooking extensive evidence from observational studies
Focusing primarily on bone health while ignoring broader benefits
Not accounting for individual variations in vitamin D metabolism
The authors conclude that raising population vitamin D levels
could significantly reduce the incidence and mortality rates for 8 of the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S.
as well as improve various health outcomes.
Study was cited 49 times as of Sept 2025
50,000 IU of Vitamin D - many studies 184+
50,000 IU twice a month (3,500 IU average daily) Prevents/Treats 27 health problems
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50,000 IU once a week (7,000 IU average daily) prevents/treats 61 health problems
ADHD, Anxiety, Asthma, Autism, Back Pain, BPH (prostate), Cancer - Breast, Cancer - Colon, Cancer - Prostate, Cardiovascular, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Cognitive Decline, Colds, COVID, Depression, Diabetes, Endometriosis, Falls, Fibromyalgia, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, Hay Fever, Heart Failure, Hives, Hypertension – Pulmonary, Immune System, Infant, Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome, Influenza, Kidney Disease, Knee-Pain, Lupus, Migraine, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscles - women, Obesity, Pain - Chronic, Pain - Growing, PMS, Preeclampsia, Premature Birth, Respiratory Tract Infection, Schizophrenia, Sleep-Poor, Sleep Apnea, Smoking, Sports Performance, Stroke, Surgery, Tonsilitis, Tuberculosis, Ulcerative Colitis, Ulcers – Venous, Urinary Tract Infection
VitaminDWiki - Proof that Vitamin D Works for 98+ health problems
Depression, Pneumonia (Ventilator-associated), Poor Sleep, PreDiabetes, Preeclampsia, Pre-term Birth, Prostate Cancer, Psoriasis, Quality of Life, Raynaud's Pain, Respiratory Tract Infection, Restless Leg Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Rickets, Sarcopenia, Sepsis, Short Neonates, Sickle Cell, Stronger Senior Muscles, Survive ICU, TB, Tonsillitis, Trauma Death, Traumatic Brain Injury, Tuberculosis, Ulcerative Colitis, Urinary Tract Infection, Vaginosis, Vertigo, Warts, Weight Loss
Introduction to Is 50 ng of vitamin D too high, just right, or not enough
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40-150 ng of Vitamin D needed to treat some health problems
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Some categories of people are at High Risk of vitamin D deficiency
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300+ Health problems associated with low vitamin D
This list is in the left-hand column of 15,000+ VitaminDWiki pages
VitaminDWiki – How Much Vitamin D contains
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VitaminDWiki – Water-dispersible forms of vitamins A, D, E and K are better
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