Europeans now get 200 IU of Vitamin D daily (had been 600 IU) - July 2025

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Contribution of different vitamin D forms and fortified foods to vitamin D intake in Europe: a narrative review

J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2025 Apr 14:106761. doi: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2025.106761
Maaike J Bruins 1

In the current narrative review, the bioavailability of the main vitamin D forms is evaluated. The mean intakes and main contributing forms of vitamin D in the European diet are estimated, as well as the major contributing dietary sources. The literature is reviewed for studies reporting on the proportion of users and non-users of fortified food with vitamin D intakes below reference intakes. In addition, the availability of vitamin D-fortified prepackaged retail products and fortification levels in the European market is assessed. Previously, vitamins D2 and D3 forms were considered the primary forms in the diet. Recent analytical methods suggest that dietary 25(OH)D3, when adjusted for higher bioequivalence, significantly contributes to total vitamin D intakes. When also considering 25(OH)D3 from foods, the estimated vitamin D intake from an average European diet was 3.8µg/d of total Vitamin D Equivalents: vitamin D3, vitamin D2 and 25(OH)D3, contributing about 71%, 2%, and 27%, respectively. Animal foods, fortified fats and spreads contributed most to total intakes.
Literature suggests that 94-100% of Europeans aged ≥ 13y fail to meet the vitamin D reference intake of 10µg/d,

• About 98-100% of vitamin D-fortified food users and
• 99-100% of non-users in the UK and Netherlands consumed less than 10µg/d of vitamin D.

About 1.2% of prepackaged foods and drinks were voluntary fortified with vitamin D, margarine and plant-based drinks providing most of the daily vitamin D. Encouraging fortification and other strategies may support closing the gap between current and recommended vitamin D intakes.
 Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki .

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European diet 150 years ago provided 600-1000 IU of Vitamin D daily

Pre-processed form provides 6X equivalent Vitamin D than non-preprocessed vitamin D
   pork, lard, chicken, eggs, eels, liver, kidneys, herring, mackerel, sardines, etc.
 Report by Perplexity AI   or click here for online
Hover here to see questionI would like to get an estimate about how much vitamin D the average European got from food daily 150 years ago. Food used to contain a LOT more vitamin D. Examples: pigs, chicken, eels, liver, kidneys, small fatty fish, sardines, tripe, eggs. Note: many animal products contain a lot more semi-activated vitamin D, than regular vitamin D
Example: A slice of pie made with lard from pigs raised outdoor contained 2,000 IU
see: Does Less Sun mean More Disease 5 minute video by VitaminDWiki
see: "Free range" lard has 500 IU vitamin D per teaspoon

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Industrial food production removed about 400 IU, Fortification replaces about 120 IU

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VitaminDWiki - Many reasons why vitamin D deficiency has become epidemic

LESS: sun, free-roaming farm animals, wild fish and game, organ meats, magnesium
MORE: obesity, pesticides, smoke, air polution, drugs, Omega-6

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VitaminDWiki - 28 Deficiency in Europe studies

This list is automatically updated

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VitaminDWiki – Overview Deficiency of vitamin D contains

FACT: Much of the world is now vitamin D deficient
OBSERVATION:There are many reasons that a person may be vitamin D deficient
11 of the reasons for the epidemic are new in the past 40 years, Example: Air Conditioning
OBSERVATION: The more reasons that apply to an individual, the more likely he is to be deficient (additive reasons)
FACT: Vitamin D Deficiency has been associated with many diseases

FACT: Vitamin D intake can be increased by supplements, injection, UV, and sun (very little by food) 112 items

FACT: Adding vitamin D to diets has been proven E1 E2 in clinical trials to both PREVENT some and TREAT some diseases
OBSERVATION: Adding vitamin D (intervention) does PREVENT and TREAT additional diseases - more trials are underway
OBSERVATION: There are at least 10 ways to increase the response by the blood to vitamin D intake

Details at VitaminDWiki

• All items: Deficiency of Vitamin D 472 items
• Incidence of 22 health problems related to vitamin D have doubled in a decade many charts
• Diseases that may be related via low vitamin D
• Vitamin D levels have been crashing since 1995 (Polish Children, Elite Military, etc)
• People with gut problems are low on vitamin D – April 2011
• Concealing clothing resulted in only 8 ng vitamin D – Feb 2011
• 23 ng of vitamin D in sunny Israel – Dec 2010
• Need to avoid the sun during the summer in Dubai
• Vitamin D deficiency spares no body part – NE Asia – Jan 2013
  • Diseases associated with Winter and the North are occurring in the Summer now that they can avoid the extreme summer heat with air conditioning
• Vitamin D less than 22 ng in Greece half of the year– May 2011
• Vitamin D insufficiency in UK youths – 37X more likely if dark skin – July 2011
• All items in Far From Equator 125 items
• Beijing extremely vitamin D deficient even in the fall: 10 ng – April 2013
• 93 % of US children had less than 30 ng of vitamin D Oct 2021
• 92 % of ALL Germans less than 30 ng - Jan 2012
• 92 % of German elderly less than 30 ng - Jan 2012
• 91 % of Japanese women less than 30 ng - 2012
• 90 % of Canadian youth less than 30 ng vitamin D – Oct 2010
• 90 % of Swiss men have less than 30 ng of vitamin D in the winter – Nov 2012
• 90 % of young health care professionals had less than 30 ng of vitamin D – Nov 2011
• 87 % of Tennessee general medicine patients had less than 32 ng of vitamin D – Jan 2011
• 86 % of UK elderly less than 30 ng - Jan 2010
• 86 % of US military has less than 32 ng of Vitamin D – Dec 2020
• 82 % of Swedes did not have the recommended amount of vitamin D – Feb 2011
• 80 % of teens in Europe had less than 30 ng of vitamin D – Aug 2011
• 79 % of middle aged Americans had less than 32 ng of vitamin D – July 2010
• 76 % of Irish had less than 30 ng of vitamin D – April 2013
• 70 % of Koreans in their twenties had less than 20ng of vitamin D – Dec 2010
• 50 % of Quebec kids had less than 20 ng of vitamin D – Milk and movement did not help – Mar 2011
• 42 % of US adults less than 20 ng of vitamin D and 82 % of blacks – Jan 2011
• 33 % of pre-teens in Tehran had less than 5 ng of vitamin D – Feb 2011
• 30 % of US had less than 20 ng of vitamin D - CDC March 2011
• 27 % of Turkish mothers has less than 11 ng of vitamin D
• Vitamin D could save More than 10,000 Canadian lives annually LEF
• Teens increasingly indoors - especially if dark skin - July 2010
• Criteria to associate a disease with the lack of vitamin D
• Many reasons why vitamin D deficiency has become epidemic
• Ways to increase the amount of vitamin D you get from the sun
• Review of Vitamin D Deficiencies in developing countries - Oct 2011
• Military and Vitamin D - many studies
• Quick, FREE, self-test for Vitamin D deficiency

• Health problem frequency - 1997 = rates of occurrence of human health problems