Are You Actually Taking Enough Vitamin D? Experts Explain How To Make Sure

In our humble opinion, vitamin D is finally getting the credit it deserves. After all, it's one of the most well-documented players out there for immune support, bone health, muscle function, and more.* And considering vitamin D is one of the most common nutrient gaps1 in the U.S., this hurl into the spotlight feels well deserved—and, honestly, long overdue.  

To achieve healthy vitamin D status (i.e., vitamin D sufficiency), though, you might head over to the supplements aisle, as ramping up levels through food alone generally doesn't cut it (more on that later).* Thing is, many vitamin D products on the market contain sub-efficacious doses. As a result, even if you've made it your personal mission to optimize your vitamin D levels, you might be struggling to move the needle.

As mbg's director of scientific affairs and in-house nutritionist Ashley Jordan Ferira, Ph.D., RDN, puts it, "This suboptimal dosing is a sneaky (and pervasive) issue in the vitamin D supplement world. It's about time somebody stood up and pointed it out."

Ready for some stats? Sufficient vitamin D levels—which are measured via blood work using the biomarker total 25-hydroxyvitamin D [or 25(OH)D, for short]—are considered to be greater than 30 ng/mL2.

Unfortunately, 931 to 100% of the U.S. population fails to consume even just 400 IU of vitamin D per day through food. That's right, 400 IU. Given that stat, it's no real surprise that 41% of adults in the U.S. are considered clinically insufficient4 in vitamin D (and that considers all inputs from sun, food, beverages, and supplements!) 

To ramp up your vitamin D status, you might turn to a targeted supplement.* (A stellar plan of action, we'd say.) But here's the thing: The amount of vitamin D found in many multivitamins—and even stand-alone vitamin D supplements—isn't enough to make a notable difference. 

See, that 30 ng/mL 25(OH)D bloodwork value we mentioned is the cutoff for vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency. As mbg's Ferira shares on the mindbodygreen podcast: "This is not a goal to aim for but rather a minimum to avoid." This means that taking 3,000 IU of vitamin D per day is wholly inadequate for most adults.

Translation? Sure, you can hover around 30 ng/mL to avoid true vitamin D deficiency2, but to reach clinically sufficient levels (consistently for life), you actually need more than 30 ng/mL2. That's why Ferira (along with other trusted nutrition and medical experts) believe that greater than or equal to 50 ng/ml is the true goal for vitamin D sufficiency.

Unfortunately, though, most vitamin D-containing supplements simply can't help you meet that benchmark. 

Of course, "smaller doses do provide a little more flexibility for people who may need less [vitamin D] at different times, or for those who take a few different supplements that contain vitamin D," notes registered dietitian Jess Cording, M.S., R.D., CDN.

Ferira expounds further: "For example, a multi-ingredient immune or bone health complex or a multivitamin may contain 1,000 IU or 2,000 IU of vitamin D3, and that's great. You might also find a cute dose of vitamin D3 in children's supplements and most calcium supplements to enhance that mineral's absorption too, which is also fine."

This all leaves you in a bit of a pickle, now, doesn't it? To make a long, scientific story short, Ferira recommends you find a formula that helps you achieve and maintain optimal vitamin D levels rather than one that merely helps you meet the minimum.*

Ferira says, "Why offer consumers a dose that will barely flirt with the minimum cutoff for sufficiency? Whether poor logic or design, I think companies should stop selling suboptimal doses of vitamin D3 and simply offer up science-backed doses of this critically important nutrient to customers."

Enter mindbodygreen's vitamin D3 potency+: A targeted dose of 5,000 IU to help you get to (and stay) above that 50+ ng/mL threshold (and in just one gelcap, might we add). It contains vitamin D3 sustainably sourced from organic algae, paired with organic oils (flaxseed, avocado, and extra-virgin olive oils, to be exact) to enhance the absorption of vitamin D and provide an added bonus thanks to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of the omega-3 and omega-9 fatty acids in those oils.*