Our latest tests yield some good news for the many people who take a daily vitamin D pill, or one that combines calcium and vitamin D: All of the 32 products met or exceeded their claimed levels of the vitamin, disintegrated or dissolved properly where applicable, and were well below the safe upper limit set by the Institute of Medicine. But we found levels of lead in nine of 12 supplements that combine vitamin D with calcium that would have triggered warnings for reproductive risk under California Proposition 65. However, a number of companies had reached a settlement with the California Attorney General's office that allows them latitude in how they count lead levels and in these cases the products do not have to have warnings. Still, Consumer Reports continues to believe that it is better to choose products with lower lead levels. (This information has changed from the originally published version. See below for a clarification.) Click here for a chart that shows average lead levels in supplements we tested.
We also found that costs can vary widely, as shown in the Ratings chart. So choose by price and preference of pill type, and consider whether you want a product that also contains calcium. Finally, it's not clear that everyone who takes vitamin D needs the pills. People who get enough midday sun in warmer months probably don’t need extra amounts, since the body makes from exposure to sunlight. But you might need vitamin D if you have osteoporosis or a condition such as celiac disease that impairs the body’s ability to absorb fat-soluble vitamins, including D. For details, see our article "Do You Really Need More Vitamin D?" For our tests, at least three samples of each product were analyzed for their level of vitamin D3 (the form of the vitamin most were claimed to contain) and, in the case of the combined products, their level of calcium. The supplements with calcium were also tested for the presence of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. Average vitamin D3 levels ranged from 105 percent to 141 percent of the labeled amount in the adult and children’s vitamin D-only products (1,000 international units, or IU, and 400 IU, respectively).
But even the higher levels were well below the Institute of Medicine’s maximum safe daily level of 4,000 IU. Most adults up to age 70 need no more than about 600 IU of vitamin D a day; older people, 800 IU. Avoid exceeding 4,000 IU daily unless your doctor has prescribed a higher dose to treat a deficiency. Too much vitamin D can cause kidney damage. Other symptoms of toxic amounts of D include confusion, nausea, and weakness. Few foods naturally contain vitamin D. Fatty fish and cod-liver oil have the highest levels. Smaller amounts are available in beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks. Most of the vitamin D consumed in the U.S. diet comes from fortified foods, such as milk. Calcium-Vitamin D Supplements: Average Total Lead Levels in Samples Tested* (Listed in order of lowest to highest per maximum daily dose) Label recommended maximum dose (pills/day) Total analyzed micrograms of lead per labeled maximum daily dose Nature's Bounty Calcium 1200mg Caltrate 600 + D
Citracal Petites Calcium Citrate + D3 Oscal Calcium Supplement Extra D3 CVS Calcium 600 + D Walgreens Calcium 600 + D Equate Calcium Citrate + D (Walmart) Kirkland Signature Calcium 600mg + D3 (Costco) *At least one sample from each of three batches (lots). About Best Sellers in Vitamin D Supplements These lists, updated hourly, contain bestselling items. Here you can discover the best Vitamin D Supplements in Amazon Best Sellers, and find the top 100 most popular Amazon Vitamin D Supplements. The Truth About Vitamin D: What Kind of Vitamin D is Best? WebMD feature series on vitamin D. What kind of vitamin D is best? The recommended form of vitamin D is vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol. This is the natural form of vitamin D that your body makes from sunlight. Supplements are made from the fat of lambs' wool. However, a clinical study reported in 2008 suggested that vitamin D2 works as well as vitamin D3. Many supplements contain vitamin D as vitamin D2 or calciferol.
It's derived from irradiated fungus. Because this is not the form of vitamin D naturally made by your body, WebMD nutritionist Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, recommends using the D3 form for those taking vitamin D supplements. Because of its potency, different forms of vitamin D are used in prescription medications. If you have a prescription for one of these medications, do not switch to another form of vitamin D without checking with your doctor. Next: Does vitamin D interact with other medications? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9Vitamin D is often forgotten, but Vitamin D actually supports proper calcium absorption in the body. So if bone health is important to you, don't send calcium into the ring without his tag-team partner Vitamin D. View Top 50 Overall View Top 10 In Each Category View All Best Sellers Help Maintain Strong Healthy Bones!* Helps Support Bone Health And Immunity* 100% Vegan Vitamin D Supports Bone Health! Higher Dosage Level To Assist In Retention Of Calcium & Phosphorus*
If you do not take a daily multivitamin, your best bet would be Dr. Cannell's Advanced Vitamin D supplement by Purity Products, which comes with the additional co-factors needed for the absorption of Vitamin D. Finally, if you are vegan or vegetarian and you want to avoid animal-sourced products, your selection would be limited to the last two categories. All systems in our bodies need vitamin D, so a deficiency in this essential nutrient often contributes to the development of disease. For example, children who are severely deficient in vitamin D develop rickets, while adults who do not have adequate vitamin D in their system are likely to experience a bone softening condition known as osteomalacia. Clinical research shows that mild vitamin D deficiency predisposes people to a variety of chronic diseases, such as: Since all these conditions are linked to vitamin D deficiency, you need to ensure that you maintain sufficient levels of this vitamin in your system.
We've been analysing vitamin supplements for years. As a result we have built a database of manufacturers that consistently deliver high quality products. We picked the best vitamin D supplements you see above in part based on the reputation score of the manufacturer. We also looked at test analysis reports provided by third-party testing labs in order to confirm that each of the above products meets our quality standards. You can think of Vitamin D as a key that unlocks your DNA. It essentially tells your genes what to do. The genes are the computer that runs your body. When a cell wears out, it's your genes that regulate the production of a new cell. When your body doesn't have enough of one enzyme or has too much of a certain protein, it is your genes that need to increase or decrease the production of that enzyme or that protein. 2000 of the genes in your body are waiting for an adequate amount of vitamin D so that they can be told what to do. Without it the body cannot signal those genes to act as they should.
Besides going to your doctor for a blood draw and lab test, you can join the D*action Project, which is a global public health initiative that aims to solve the worldwide epidemic of vitamin D deficiency. One of the projects sponsors, GrassrootsHealth, offers test kits with laboratory analysis completed by ZRT Labs. The price of each individual test is $60.00. To maintain the recommended concentration of 25(OH)D (vitamin D), you need to take in at least 4000 IU/day. Between skin exposure to sunlight and food sources, the average person’s intake of vitamin D is about 2000 IU/day, which is half of what we need to stay healthy. To make up this difference, most people need to take vitamin D supplements that provide 1000 IU to 3000 IU per day. To determine the exact dosage of vitamin D supplements you need, the first step is find out what your current level of vitamin D is by having it tested. Once you have this baseline measure of vitamin D, then use this chart to determine what daily dose of vitamin D you need.
Table 1: How much vitamin D you need to supplement with? Using the table above you can see how if you have a target vitamin D blood serum level of 50 ng/ml, but currently your vitamin D concentration level is only 20 ng/ml, then you need to supplement with 4300 IU of vitamin D per day. A group of 42 researchers and practitioners gathered by GrassrootsHealth all agreed a vitamin D blood serum concentration range of 40 to 60 ng/ml is the ideal range needed to maintain good health. This consensus is supported by a research study of native Equatorial African tribes that don't wear clothes and are exposed to strong sunlight all day long. When the scientists conducted blood tests to determine the vitamin D levels of individuals in these tribes, they found their levels to be around 48ng/ml on average. The authors concluded that since DNA studies have shown that the ancestors of early humans originally come from this area of Africa, the vitamin D concentration of 48 ng/ml is most likely the natural optimal level of vitamin D for humans.
The US Institute of Medicine set the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin D at 600 IU/day for people under the age of 70 and 800 IU/day for adults over the age of 70. Historically the medical community did not consider vitamin D to be crucial for optimal health. They only acknowledged that some vitamin D was needed to help the body use calcium to maintain the strong teeth and bones. During the last decade, however, many studies conducted throughout the world have discovered the importance of vitamin D in maintaining overall health. This research provides substantial evidence that we need much more than the RDA of vitamin D to stay healthy. Yes, here is a summary of the latest research findings: Table 2: Disease Incidence Prevention by Serum 25(OH)D Level Research teams from the following organizations based in United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Japan and New Zealand are currently at the forefront of vitamin D research: The answer is simple.