What is the Optimal Vitamin D Range?
Researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah, believe they have come closer to establishing an optimal blood level of vitamin D to maximize protection against disease.
The study has not yet been published but was presented at a recent American Heart Association conference.
For this study, the researchers measured vitamin D blood levels in 132,000 American participants. Here were some results:
Those with vitamin D levels in the 61-80 ng/mL range had a 52% reduced risk of diabetes when compared to those who had vitamin D levels below 20 ng/mL and were regarded as deficient.
Participants with vitamin D levels in the 81-100 ng/mL range had a 36% reduced incidence of hypertension compared to those deficient in vitamin D.
The researchers also found that higher levels of vitamin D were correlated with reduced instances of heart failure, depression, coronary artery disease, kidney failure and prior stroke.
The researchers noted that vitamin D levels exceeding 100 ng/mL could be too high.
It is very rare for people to get this high. For example, out of the 132,000 participants in this study, only 291 individuals or 0.22% of the population studied had vitamin D levels over 100 ng/mL.
For the few that were that high, the researchers noticed an increased risk of arterial fibrillation.
Based on these results it appears that vitamin D levels between 60 ng/mL and 100 ng/mL may be optimal for good health.
