Here’s a recent post by the AANP regarding Vit. D levels in the blood. And, despite this evidence, insurance companies are increasingly declining coverage of Vit. D assessment. Be sure to get some healthy sunshine and include liver (from healthfully raised animals!) in your diet.
AANP – Vitamin D Blood Levels Nosedive – (Tuesday, February 05, 2013) –A new Canadian study has found vitamin D levels are declining dramatically, falling 6.2 percent in a two-year period for those aged 6 to 79, with only 10 percent meeting optimum levels, despite public health programs encouraging increased vitamin D ingestion and supplementation. Updated figures for the United States are not available, but previous studies showed the percentage of people with vitamin D insufficiency is the same in each country. (Research shows that people with lower vitamin D levels have a much higher risk of serious diseases.) In the study, vitamin D levels fell a full 10.2 percent among children aged 6 to 11 in two years. Sufficient levels are seen as above 50 nmol/L, and 32 percent did not meet this level. Optimum levels are higher than 100 nmol/L, and only 10 percent met this level. Although 34 percent of the population took a vitamin D supplement, 15 percent of supplement users still had insufficient levels. The reason for the decrease in vitamin D levels is not known, but may involve increased sunlight avoidance. This study was published on the Statistics Canada website on February 5, 2013. It is accessible at http://tinyurl.com/akqrjar without cost.