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and store this Vitamin," she said. "There are other contingencies too, because the body stores Vitamin D for about six weeks but heavier people and the elderly seem to have a smaller reserve lifespan, so they need more."

Higgins says that under the current guidelines two classes of milk fortified with Vitamin D appears to over a child's needs, but she agrees that research is indicating that much greater amounts are actually required for overall health and disease prevention by both children and adults.

"I don't think the answer lies in the food we take in, though things like salmon, tuna fish, cod liver oil and fortified milk contain good levels of Vitamin D, it is probably not nearly enough," she said. "You should ask you doctor about testing for the deficiency and look to taking a supplement for any real overall health benefit."

According to Dr. Nadeau, the worry of overdosing on Vitamin D is miniscule, since research shows someone would have to take in more than 10,000 IU per day to reach toxic levels. He thinks this deficiency has been an ongoing heath problem for many, many years, which is now being discovered thanks to the ongoing research.

"During evolution, we were basically in the sun all the time and now we hardly get sun exposure. If a person is out in the sun for twenty minutes at noontime in the summer months, they can make from 20,000 to 25,000 IU's of Vitamin D," Dr. Nadeau said. "With concerns about the link between the sun and skin cancer, we are seeing more people staying out of the sun and as a result, we are seeing more and more people who are Vitamin D deficient."

Ideally, the body's serum levels should be 40ng/mg (nanograms per milligram) or higher, according to Dr. Nadeau. You can ask you doctor to perform a "25 hydroxy-Vitamin D" test to check your body's levels. Supplements, he said an be bought at a health food store or Wal-Mart and can contain as much as 2000 IU for daily intake.

Vitamin D deficiency concerns include infants who have a limited diet and general lack of sun exposure.

"We are seeing that breastfed infants cannot get enough vitamin D in breast milk so pediatricians are recommending all breastfed infants get 400 IU per day through supplements," says Eileen Behan, registered dietitian-nutritionist for Core Physician in Exeter, New Hampshire and author of eight family nutrition books including The Baby Food Bible, "Formula fed babies should get enough in their fortified formula intake."

Most baby formulas are fortified with Vitamin D and mothers can determine if their little ones are taking in enough each day based on the amount of formula the baby drinks. Dr. Nadeau points out that breastfeeding mothers should pay attention to how much Vitamin D they are taking into their diet and consider a supplement to ensure their baby is getting enough in their diet as well.

For more information on Vitamin D deficiencies visit www.vitamindcouncil.org.

Learn more about this author, Barbara Leech.
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