Recent research seems to indicate that Americans are deficient in vitamin D. That would make sense because vitamin D is obtained by the body through sunlight, and most of us don't spend a lot of time outdoors. When we are outdoors, we lather on the sunscreen so the sun's rays don't damage our skin. Skin that is protected by sunscreen can not manufacture vitamin D.
Doctors freely prescribe vitamin D supplements to their patients to increase vitamin D levels in the blood. Because vitamin D is required for many metabolic processes, it is believed that low vitamin D levels contribute to heart disease, cancer, and a host of other chronic diseases.
Based on the current standards of normal -- 30 ng/mL or greater -- between 50 and 90 percent of adults and children are considered to be deficient in vitamin D. That includes people who live in sunny climates. Even native Hawaiian surfers have been found to have low vitamin D levels.
Recent lliterature reviews, however, have come to the conclusion that vitamin D recommendations are set too high. Based on the scientific research, John McDougall recommends that normal should be considered 20 ng/mL or greater, a standard that most children and adults already meet. McDougall recommends that "people failing to reach this acceptable level need to expose themselves to more sunshine."
Another consideration to examine is that recommended vitamin D levels were set by individuals with a financial interest in selling supplements.
As for the connection between low vitamin D levels and chronic disease, consider the population that is most likely to be tested: individuals who eat the SAD diet, have high levels of underlying inflammation, and, as a result, are at high risk for heart disease, cancer, etc.
Taking vitamin D supplements can actually be risky because while increasing your level of one vitamin, you are creating an unnaturally derived imbalance of vitamins in your body, increasing your risk for heart disease and cancer.
Sunlight is the preferred source for vitamin D. Go outside, cover those areas of your skin that get the most sun -- your face and your arms, say. Be smart about staying outdoors, but get outdoors. And, for goodness sakes, eat a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains.
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