I've said it before and I will say it again Vitamin D is important, but will we ever know exactly what is the correct level for every one to take? I really don't think so. I think it partially depends on where you live. I think the amounts like 1,000 IU are conservative while 2,000 IU is a more basline number but If you are like me and you live in the midwest you NEED MORE!! Especially during winter, if you live in the south you are probably going to need less, there is research going on right now at the University of MN and at Mayo clinic to investigate how Vit. D is affected by where you live.  It does amazing things for us. We feel less tired, less angry at times, it strengthens our bones and it can decrease some pain.  But how much do you really need?? Its a personal question. It can only be answered by a blood test. I know for me it is usually 50,000 IU on weekdays, and 100,000 IU on the weekends and NO I didn't put too many zero's in. I use to take 100,000 IU all the time, but then I went up to 100 so they cut me back to 50,000 on the weekdays. Bottomline Like Larissalle said follow Oprah's example in part, more in theory... learn from it... get your levels tested and find out what you need!

Thank you for your great post, oh-wise-stkatesgirl.

One more thing to add to my post!!! Don't stop after you have found out your levels!! KEEP GETTING TESTED!!!    You need to figure out what your maintance dose will be for vitamin d which is basically a dose that will keep you at that level, and even once you have that figured out, you still should be checked every 2-6 months to make sure that that is still enough!! I know its a pain in the butt to schedule the test and make time to go in and get the blood drawn, BELIEVE ME I KNOW!!! I have been doing this for almost 2 3/4 years and 2 and 1/2 of those years I had to drive all the way down to Mayo clinic in Rochester to get mine done. That was it, that was all I had to have done, and I drove over 2 and 1/2 hours there and back for a blood test, because it had to be consitent and my doctor wouldn't let me do it up here. Now mayo has home testing kits that they send you, you get drawn at home, the blood is sent to them and they analyze it still. THis is better because I don't have to drive down there.  So believe me when I say I know what a pain it is!!! But I also know how IMPORTANT it is!!! Get yourself tested!!! Please!!!! and then Keep doing so!!!!

Brianna

Most adults but not everybody gets a 10 ng rise per 1,000 IU of vitamin D3. That's why most studies say 10,000 IU daily is the max to take everyday. This works out to 100ng blood levels.

Labcorp is well-known to have the gold standard for accuracy of the 25- Hydroxyvitamin D test.

Hi, Daniel, thanks for the information about the LabCorp vitamin D blood test.  Yes, I just learned the same about the test a month ago.  I got overzealous this year and ended up with a level of 150 ng/ml using the LabCorp test.  I'm currently letting my level fall back down to 80 ng/ml.  I was pleased to know that I could get the test through LabCorp and not have to adjust my results.  In regards to the rise in blood level, I have found that friends with very low vitamin D levels (<20 ng/ml) have a rise of about 5 ng/ml per 1,000 IU's.  People with higher D levels (>20 ng/ml), rise by about 10 ng/ml per 1,000 IU's.  And some have needed to bite into their vitamin D capsules as recommended by vitamin D expert, Michael Holick, as their digestive tracts cannot break down the capsule material.  Thanks again for the info.  Larissa

What's the total Vitamin D3 dose per day you took to get a 150ng/ml on your Labcorp 25-Hydroxyvitamin D test?

HI, Daniel, I was taking 10,000 IU's a day for 6 months, but I started at a level of 80 ng/ml.  Over the past two years as I've been recovering from a level of 17 ng/ml, every time I let my level fall below 100, I just don't feel as well.  I wasn't feeling so well again, and I knew that I was not going to have time to go out to get D from the sun.  Dr. Cannell at the Vitamin D Council has suggested that vitamin D should be dosed by weight: 1,000 IU's per 25 lbs (10 kg) of body weight.  This amount should keep a person at a minimum healthy vitamin D blood level somewhere in the 50-80 ng/ml range.  I weigh 140-150 lbs at any given time, so I really shouldn't go over 6,000 IU's a day.  When I took 10,000 IU's a day, I was getting 4,000 IU's more a day than my body needed.  My level rose by 70 ng/ml, or almost 20 ng/ml per 1000 IU's if you just consider the extra 4000 IU's I was taking.   But then it turned out that vitamin C that I was taking (2000-3000 mg/day) had caused a vitamin B12 deficiency, and vitamin D wasn't the issue.  I have heard all my life that vitamin C megadoses are safe.  Maybe they are for some people, but now I know they are not for me.

Actually, Journals do say up to 4,000mg of vitamin C daily is safe for adults. There is a theory as to why we don't live as long as a long time ago. Is due to humans no longer being able to make their own vitamin C unlike the past.  If you take a great multivitamin with the active form methylcobalamin B12 like NSI Twice Daily Energy Multivitamin. Then, you need not worry about any B12 deficiency.

I read on this site that 80ng/ml cuts breast cancer. So, that may be the ideal level. What total vitamin D3 dose were you getting by supplements prior to adding the 10,000 IU? Interesting that the additonal 10,000 IU didn't raise your level beyond just 150ng if you started at 80ng. That is interesting you don't feel as well under 100ng (249.6nmol).

Hi, Daniel, thanks for the vitamin info, but I can't take b12 supplements, as I'm allergic to all synthetic b vitamins due to an enzyme deficiency.  I eat clams to keep up with b12 now, and sometimes red meat.  About my vitamin D intake and levels, I started in May 2009 with a level of 17 ng/ml.  I'd have to look in my diary for the exact amounts and timing, but it initially took about 6 months to finally get just above 60 ng/ml.  I had to take 14,000 IU's a day to get there (D3).  I then continued 14,000 IU's a day and finally got to about 130.  Then I decided to try getting vitamin D from the sun only.  I did this for 4 months 6 days a week, full body exposure at the right time of the day and year till my skin turned "just pink" and not sunburned.  My D level plummeted to 56 ng/ml.  Every month, one or two awful symptoms came back, and by the end of 4 months, I felt pretty badly.  I'm 48 yrs old and it's possible that my skin is too old to get enough D from the sun alone.  I have never felt as well since then even though I've kept my D level somewhere between 80-120 ng/ml ever since.  Whenever I let my level fall below 100 ng/ml, I start to feel less well again.  My level probably didn't go higher on 10,000 IU's because of what I explained earlier, i.e., my body weight supports a minimum D level of about 6,000 IU's a day to maintain a 50-80 ng/ml blood level. The extra 4,000 IU's a day that I was taking should really have not raised my level more than another 40 ng/ml to 120 ng/ml.  Seems that it is not an exact science.  That's for sure.