VIDEO: Vitamin D Health Benefits

Make sure you're taking enough vitamin D3 to achieve best results 

Transcript

It's wintertime and, unless you live in Hawaii and spend a lot of time outdoors without sunscreen, you're likely vitamin D deficient.

That's because vitamin D is produced when the UVB radiation from the sun strikes the skin and, during the winter in much of the Northern Hemisphere, there isn't enough UVB radiation to manufacture vitamin D, so most Americans are just plain deficient.

The only way to get enough of this vitamin is to take vitamin D3 supplements.

As far as I'm concerned, you can forget the RDA of 400 to 600 IU per day, and I suggest that you take 2,000 to 5,000 IU per day and have your blood level tested to assure you're in your optimal range. Now, in my opinion, the optimal range is 40 to 60 ng/mL.

This is Julian Whitaker, M.D., assisting you in your personal quest for optimal health.

More Dr. Whitaker Advice on Optimal Health

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• Recommended nutrients for people with diabetes