In the early 1950's a problem was misdiagnosed as being due to vitamin D in milk.
- It was acually due to Williams Syndrome,
- which is a result of deletion of 26 genes,
- William Syndrome, which results in having too much Calcium and Vitamin D in the body. was not even named until the end of the decade.
- William Syndrome has been found to occur in 1 in 7,000 births.
The diagnosis was corrected in the 60's, but the reputation of vitamin D remained tainted for 50+ years.
During that time very few people or researchers would consider trying more than 2,000 IU daily.
So the wonderful benefits of 4,000 IU and higher were left undiscovered until about the turn of the century.
The importance of enough vitamin D might have been left undiscovered for an even longer time if it were not
for the fact that a good fraction of the global population became vitamin D deficient during the past 40 years due to
many factors: the most important - staying away from the sun.
One of my 13 concerns about vitamin D back in Dec of 2009 was its toxicity when more than 2,000 IU were taken daily.
I have since learned that there is little concern at 10,000 IU and the toxic level for long term use is about 40,000 IU daily.
See also VitaminDWiki
- 1000 IU of vitamin D (per kg) can indeed be toxic – 1947 may have been the source of the myth
- Many doctors still belief (incorrectly) that more than 800 or 2000 IU of vitamin D is toxic - Oct 2014
- Vitamin D Is Not as Toxic as Was Once Thought – Holick May 2015
- Vitamin D Myths - DOSE
See also web
- Description of the Vitamin D panic in UK 2009
- Williams Syndrome at Wikipedia
- Recommends minimizing Calcium and Vitamin D
Williams Syndrom: Nutrition and Diet Therapy, 6th edition. St. Louis:
2000 IU toxic Mosby, 1989. 220-221. Still in Mosby as of 2010: