"Vitamin D httpods.od.nih.govfactsheetsVitaminDHealthProfessional in combination with calcium is good for your bones. You should consume modest amounts in your diet if possible and for most people that is quite possible or in the form of supplements if you cant get enough via food and drink. We know this. But somehow weve arrived at a point when some physicians are prescribing large doses of Vitamin D supplements for their patients in the hope of preventing cancer cardiovascular disease diabetes autoimmune disorders and other maladies despite a lack of evidence that this works according to a new commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association. httpjama.jamanetwork.comarticle.aspxarticleid Other people are loading up on Vitamin D on their own. Clinical enthusiasm for supplemental vitamin D has outpaced available evidence on its effectiveness JoAnn E. Manson and Shari S. Bassuk of the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston wrote last week in the journals online version. This practice isnt totally harmless. You should be consuming  international units daily if youre between the ages of  and  and  IU each day if youre  or older according to the Institute of Medicine http the health arm of the National Academcy of Sciences. For a chart with a little more detail see here httpbooks.nap.eduopenbook.phprecord_idpage. These amounts are enough for . percent of U.S. and Canadian residents according to the IOM. Sunlight stimulates production of vitamin D for people in sunnier climes. Go above  IUs unless theres a specific reason that you need that amount and you risk kidney stones calcification of blood vessels and possibly the very cardiovascular disease you were seeking to prevent Manson said in an interview. So how did we get here I think theres been a disconnect between the observational studies and the randomized clinical trials to date Manson said. Over the past  years those studies have looked promising and very often theyve been reported by the media as suggesting that vitamin D has these benefits. I think theres a general perception that if some is good more is better. I think its important to understand that more is not necessarily better. Manson is leading the most extensive clinical trial of vitamin D use ever an examination of  people across the United States to determine whether vitamin D is helpful against cancer cardiovascular disease diabetes depression infection autoimmune disorders and other conditions. The results are expected in late  or early . In the meantime how much vitamin D should you be consuming The recommended dietary allowance works out to three or four servings each day of fortified foods such as milk yogurt soy beverages orange juice or cereal plus fatty fish twice a week according to Mansons commentary. She also called on physicians not to overscreen patients for vitamin D deficiencies a practice that can lead to overprescribing it. Large trials of other widely used supplements have sometimes found benefits Manson wrote but in other casessuch as with high doses of beta carotene vitamin E and seleniumhave disproven some health claims for these supplements and identified health risks that may not have otherwise been detected. PDinesh Ramde  Vitamin D httpods.od.nih.govfactsheetsVitaminDHealthProfessional in combination with calcium is good for your bones. You should consume modest amounts in your diet if possible and for most people that is quite possible or in the form of supplements if you cant get enough via food and drink. We know this. But somehow weve arrived at a point when some physicians are prescribing large doses of Vitamin D supplements for their patients in the hope of preventing cancer cardiovascular disease diabetes autoimmune disorders and other maladies despite a lack of evidence that this works according to a new commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association. httpjama.jamanetwork.comarticle.aspxarticleid Other people are loading up on Vitamin D on their own. Clinical enthusiasm for supplemental vitamin D has outpaced available evidence on its effectiveness JoAnn E. Manson and Shari S. Bassuk of the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston wrote last week in the journals online version. This practice isnt totally harmless. You should be consuming  international units daily if youre between the ages of  and  and  IU each day if youre  or older according to the Institute of Medicine http the health arm of the National Academcy of Sciences. For a chart with a little more detail see here httpbooks.nap.eduopenbook.phprecord_idpage. These amounts are enough for . percent of U.S. and Canadian residents according to the IOM. Sunlight stimulates production of vitamin D for people in sunnier climes. Go above  IUs unless theres a specific reason that you need that amount and you risk kidney stones calcification of blood vessels and possibly the very cardiovascular disease you were seeking to prevent Manson said in an interview. So how did we get here I think theres been a disconnect between the observational studies and the randomized clinical trials to date Manson said. Over the past  years those studies have looked promising and very often theyve been reported by the media as suggesting that vitamin D has these benefits. I think theres a general perception that if some is good more is better. I think its important to understand that more is not necessarily better. Manson is leading the most extensive clinical trial of vitamin D use ever an examination of  people across the United States to determine whether vitamin D is helpful against cancer cardiovascular disease diabetes depression infection autoimmune disorders and other conditions. The results are expected in late  or early . In the meantime how much vitamin D should you be consuming The recommended dietary allowance works out to three or four servings each day of fortified foods such as milk yogurt soy beverages orange juice or cereal plus fatty fish twice a week according to Mansons commentary. She also called on physicians not to overscreen patients for vitamin D deficiencies a practice that can lead to overprescribing it. Large trials of other widely used supplements have sometimes found benefits Manson wrote but in other casessuch as with high doses of beta carotene vitamin E and seleniumhave disproven some health claims for these supplements and identified health risks that may not have otherwise been detected."