Johns Hopkins Health Alert
Testing Your Vitamin D Levels
This question comes from our popular Health After 50 newsletter. A reader asks: "Should I have my vitamin D levels tested?" Johns Hopkins professor, Dr. Michele Bellantoni answers.
Yes, if you're over 65. Vitamin D deficiency increases your chance of fractures, muscle loss, and bone pain, explains geriatrician Michele Bellantoni, M.D., Medical Director of Hopkins Bayview Care Center and Health After 50 Board Member.
Two blood tests are used to measure vitamin D levels. Most people only need the 25-hydroxy vitamin D test, says Dr. Bellantoni . The other test, referred to as the 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D test, is used for people with high calcium levels, kidney disease, or certain cancers. Both tests cost around $50 and are covered by Medicare.
If your levels are low, consider taking a vitamin D supplement. If you're over 70, aim to get 800 units of the vitamin daily, says Dr. Bellantoni. Or, if you have no history of skin cancer, you can head outdoors to catch a little sun instead of taking a supplement. "Get out and walk for a few minutes," says Dr. Bellantoni. "It's good for your heart, it's good for your bones, and it's good for your vitamin D." Ten minutes of sunshine a day without any protection (including cosmetics or moisturizers with sunscreen) is probably enough to safely boost vitamin D. Sitting by a window won't work, because the glass blocks the sun's rays, says Dr. Bellantoni.
There are no established guidelines for how often a person should have his or her vitamin D levels checked. Dr. Bellantoni recommends rechecking levels if there has been a considerable reduction in sun exposure or if you have changed your daily intake of supplements over a two-month period.
Posted in Nutrition and Weight Control on November 4, 2009
Reviewed June 2011
Medical Disclaimer: This information is not intended to substitute for the advice of a physician. Click here for additional information: Johns Hopkins Health Alerts Disclaimer
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20 minutes in sun with shirt off below Boston in latitude ought to give you 10,000 iu hormone D (assuming you do not bathe for 30 minutes after). Winter and high latitude sun would yield perhaps lower levels.
Studies of Hawaian surfers show 50% deficient.
I was deficient and spent most of the day outside in t-shirt and shorts.
I took 12,000 iu D3 for 2 months then shifted to 6,000 iu and my D level is 142 ng/ml.
Folks like Dr Holick and Cannell suggest daily doses in the 4-6k range.
Folks with dark skin might need to go higher.
Posted by: james Larsen | November 7, 2009 3:34 PM
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Ten minutes without cosmetics or protection, but no reference to clothing. Think about how much of the skin is typically exposed, even in the best of circumstances. Face, arms and legs. If it's spring or fall, likely less. Winter, and you only have face. Walking and boosting D with sun is obviously a good thing, but the thought that you might get an adequate amount of D supplementation via that route, I think, is HIGHLY questionable.
Posted by: jackj | November 7, 2009 7:55 AM