Official recommendations for vitamin D are hopelessly outdated

"During the summer months most people should be able to achieve adequate vitamin D (blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D) levels through incidental outdoor UV exposure outside peak UV times. As an example, someone who burns easily in the sun.... may only need 5 minutes of daily summer sun exposure before 11am and after 4pm (to the face, hands and forearms) to achieve adequate vitamin D levels whereas someone who tans more easily or has darker skin... will need more time e.g., up to 20 minutes."
Source: Sunsmart recommendations.

"Evaluation of most relations of health and disease that involve vitamin D leads to the conclusion that a desirable 25(OH)D concentration is 75 nmol/L (30 ng/mL) (3-5). If a concentration of 75 nmol/L is the goal to be achieved by consumption of vitamin D, then why is it so rare for members of the population to accomplish this?

One reason is that almost every time the public media report that vitamin D nutrition status is too low, or that higher vitamin D intakes may improve measures of health, the advice that accompanies the report is outdated and thus misleading.

Media reports to the public are typically accompanied by a paragraph that approximates the following: "Current recommendations from the Institute of Medicine call for 200 IU/d from birth through age 50 y, 400 IU for those aged 51–70 y, and 600 IU for those aged >70 y. Some experts say that optimal amounts are closer to 1000 IU daily. Until more is known, it is wise not to overdo it."

The only conclusion that the public can draw from this is to do nothing different from what they have done in the past. "
Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition The urgent need to recommend an intake of vitamin D that is effective
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Gary Moller comments:
As the 2nd quotation indicates, the official recommendations are totally outdated and are thus seeling the public perilously short.

There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that one can get adequate vitamin D from incidental exposure of hands etc especially if exposure is outside of the midday period. Vitamin D deficiency may now be the most widespread public health issue and one must ask just what it is going to take to get effective action.


The revised safe upper limit for vitamin D dietary intake is 10,000iu per day. So, taking 2,000 per day is safe. In fact, if a blood test shows less than optimum levels, then you could take 6-8,000 per day until blood tests demonstrate healthy levels of this health-giving vitamin. For example, if you want to halve your daugter's lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, get her out in the sun during her adolescence and ensure her diet is rich with vitamin D.