- Overview of the controversy
- Vitamin D needed to TREAT Health problems (30 ng to 150 ng)
- At VitaminDWiki - need 20 - 49 ng
- At VitaminDWiki - 50 - 60 ng
- At VitaminDWiki - need > 60 ng
- May 2023 study 30-60 ng
- At VitaminDWiki - COVID
- At VitaminDWiki - Optimal/Treatment
- At VitaminDWiki - other
- Some indications that >40 or >50 ng may sometimes cause some problems
- Agreement: 50 ng is NOT TOXIC
- U Shaped curve due to long follow-up time, not latitude - by Dr. Grant
- Chart of Vitamin D levels vs race - April 2013
- See also Google Scholar
- See also web - vitamin D test "reference range" = 20-100 ng
- Grassroots Health infographic 40-60 ng (2020)
- 49+ pages have 50 ng in the VitaminDWiki title
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)
| Vitamin D | Treats |
| 150 ng | Multiple Sclerosis * |
| 80 ng | Cluster Headache * Reduced office visits by 4X * |
| 70 ng | Sleep * |
| 60 ng | Breast Cancer death reduced 60% Preeclampsia RCT |
| 50 ng | COVID-19 T1 Diabetes Fertility Psoriasis Infections Review Infection after surgery |
| 40 ng | Breast Cancer 65% lower risk Depression ACL recovery Hypertension Asthma? |
| 30 ng | Rickets |
* Evolution of experiments with patients, often also need co-factors
At VitaminDWiki - 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 VitaminDWiki - 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 VitaminDWiki - 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 VitaminDWiki - COVID
- Is 50 ng of Vitamin D enough to fight COVID - TrialSiteNews - Jan 2024
- COVID etc. prevented and treated with 50,000 IU Vitamin D capsules - July 2022
- Discussion of COVID and 50 ng of Vitamin D (video and transcript)– Dr. Campbell Nov 17, 2021
- COVID probably fought by Vitamin D, might need 50 ng - Dr. Patrick Nov 8, 2021
- COVID-19 mortality extrapolates to zero at 50 ng of vitamin D – 18th Meta-analysis Sept 2021
- Vitamin D and COVID, review of evidence, loading dose if less than 50 ng - Masterjohn Sept 2021
- T-cells need at least 40-50 ng of Vitamin D to fight COVID-19 - June 2021
- COVID-19 prognostic indicators in plasma extrapolate to zero if Vitamin D is 40 to 80 ng – March 2021
- To protect against COVID-19, how much vitamin D – 20 to 50 ng – March 19, 2021
At VitaminDWiki - 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
99 items At VitaminDWiki - other
- Hypothesis by VitaminDWiki – Vitamin D levels are no longer limited by evolution
- All items in category How Much Vitamin D
347 items - Consensus Vitamin D category listing has
72 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
33 items along with related searches - Perhaps increase fraility if > 40 ng see following graph
Agreement: 50 ng is NOT TOXIC
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 VitaminDWiki)- 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
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 VitaminDWiki title
This list is automatically updated
Items found: 49short URL = http://is.gd/Dlevels
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- Consensus Vitamin D category listing has