Vitamin D - Dosage. Current standards and recommendations 2024

Adequate vitamin D3 supplementation is key to strengthening the body and correcting a deficiency.

Nina Wawryszuk - TekstTekstNina Wawryszuk
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Nina Wawryszuk
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Nina Wawryszuk specialises in sports supplementation, strength training and psychosomatics. On a daily basis, in addition to writing articles for Natu.Care, as a personal trainer she helps athletes improve their performance through training, diet and supplementation.

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Marta Kaczorek
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Clinical nutritionist and personal trainer in the process of qualifying as a health coach.

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Graduate of Journalism and Artes Liberales at the University of Warsaw. Since 2017, he has been working with the biggest portals in Poland and abroad as an editor. Previously worked for 3 years in one of the leading pharmaceutical companies - he knows the health and beauty industry inside out. In his free time, he most enjoys playing tennis or skiing.

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Emilia Moskal
Natu.Care Editor

Emilia Moskal specialises in medical and psychological texts, including content for medical entities. She is a fan of simple language and reader-friendly communication. At Natu.Care, she writes educational articles.

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Vitamin D - Dosage. Current standards and recommendations 2024
03 October, 2024
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Vitamin D deficiency in Poland is common. Do you want to take care of a healthy and safe supplementation? Together with nutritionist Marta Kaczorek, I have prepared for you the current recommendations for vitamin D intake.

Expectations: Get your vitamin D from the sun! Reality: You work in an office, and just when you feel like sunbathing, cloud cover appears. In winter, the days are short, and you can't manage to scramble a few dozen egg yolks for breakfast to cover your daily requirement. Fortunately, we have the option of supplementing with this vitamin!

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Description of contents:

    • Vitamin D - current standards and recommendations 2023
    • .
    • Safe dosage of vitamin D. What does the expert say?
    • Summary

See also:

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Vitamin D - current standards and recommendations in 2023

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Check what group you are in and what the recommendations are according to  medical standards for Polandand. The values given below are expressed in  IU (international unit) . This is the unit of activity of biologically active substances established by the WHO. It is used to compare the levels of the same active substances in a given drug. 

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Not recommended.

Age group and daily recommendations

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Commentary - a must read!

Pre-term newborns and infants:

Under 6 months: 400 IU/day from the first days of life irrespective of how they are fed.

Newborns.

6-12 months: 400-600 IU depending on the daily amount of vitamin D taken in with food.

Toddlers.

 

Newborns born prematurely before 32 weeks of gestation:

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800 IU from the first days of life, as long as enteral feeding is possible, regardless of the feeding method.

Supplementation should be carried out under control of serum 25(OH)D concentrations both during the hospital stay (first check after 4 weeks of supplementation) and in postdischarge ambulatory care.

Periods of supplementation should be taken into account.

Once the combined vitamin D supply from supplements and diet has reached more than 1000 IU/day, there is a risk of vitamin D overdose, especially in neonates with a birth weight of less than 1000 g.

Newborns born in the 33rd - 36th week of pregnancy:

400 IU from the first days of life, regardless of feeding method.

There is no indication for routine determination of 25 (OH)D concentrations.

 

 

No routine determination of 25 (OH)D concentrations is required.

Supplementation under control of 25 (OH)D concentrations should be considered in children at risk (parenteral nutrition > 2 weeks, ketoconazole > 2 weeks, anticonvulsant treatment, cholestasis, birth weight less than 1500 g).

Children from 1 year to 10 years:

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600-1000 IU depending on body weight and dietary vitamin D supply, throughout the year.

In healthy children staying in the sun with uncovered forearms and lower legs for at least 15 minutes a day between 10:00 and 15:00 without sunscreen between May and September, supplementation is not necessary, although still recommended and safe.

 

Young people 11 - 18 years:

1000-2000 IU depending on body weight and dietary vitamin D supply, year-round.

In healthy adolescents staying in the sun with exposed forearms and lower legs for at least 15 minutes a day between 10.00 - 15.00 without sunscreen between May and September, supplementation is not necessary, although still recommended and safe.

 

Adults 19 - 65 years:

1,000-4,000 IU depending on body weight and dietary vitamin D supply, year-round.

In healthy individuals staying in the sun with uncovered forearms and lower legs for at least 15 minutes a day between 10.00 - 15.00 without sunscreen between May and September, supplementation is not necessary, although still recommended and safe.

IU supplementation is not necessary, although still recommended and safe.

IU supplementation is not necessary.

Seniors 65 - 75 years:

1000-4000 IU depending on body weight and dietary vitamin D supply, year-round.

Because of the reduced efficiency of cutaneous synthesis, supplementation year-round depending on body weight and dietary vitamin D supply.

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Seniors 75 years and older and people with dark skin:

2000-4000 IU depending on body weight and dietary vitamin D supply, year-round.

Because of the reduced efficiency of dermal synthesis and the potential risk of reduced absorption from the gastrointestinal tract and altered vitamin D metabolism, supplementation year-round depending on body weight and dietary vitamin D supply.

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Women during the period of procreation and planning pregnancy:

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2000 IU depending on body weight and dietary vitamin D supply, throughout the year.

Females in procreation and planning pregnancy should be guaranteed the normal vitamin D supply that is recommended in the general adult population, if possible under control of serum 25(OH)D concentrations.

Pregnant and lactating women:

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2000 IU if determination of serum concentration is not possible.

After confirmation of pregnancy, supplementation should be carried out under control of serum 25(OH)D concentrations so that optimal concentrations are maintained within 

> 30-50 ng/ml.

Persons with obesity:

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double the dose relative to the dose recommended for normal weight peers.

Supplementation should be carried out under control of 25 (OH)D concentration so as to maintain an optimal result within 

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> 30-50 mg/ml.

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If determination of the concentration is not possible, the recommendations for the general population should be followed, administering vitamin D at the maximum recommended doses for the age group.

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Do not confuse the upper acceptable daily doses with the doses recommended for the treatment of vitamin D deficiency. The dose for each patient being treated is determined individually. It should not be exceeded without medical supervision!
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Marta Kaczorek.

Marta Kaczorek Clinical nutritionist

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See also:

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Rules of vitamin D supplementation and treatment according to concentration

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When a deficiency is diagnosed on the basis of blood tests, the doctor orders supplementationand  according to specific standards. 

Most important guidelines for treating deficiency: 

  1. In cases of deficiency, single shock doses are not recommended.
  2. .
  3. Dosing should be dependent on 25(OH)D concentration and previous medical management.
  4. Dosing should be based on 25(OH)D concentration and previous medical management.
  5. The diagnostic standard is methods that allow simultaneous determination of 25(OH)D2 and 25(OH)D3 concentrations(25(OH)D TOTAL - TOTAL, with an intra-rater error of <5% and inter-rater error of <10%, subject to control in the DEQUAS certification system. This means that we will most accurately test for vitamin D3 deficiency.
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Vitamin D is found in food in a small number of products and it is estimated that only 20% of its pool in the body comes from diet. In Poland, bread spreads (with the exception of butter) have been required to be fortified with vitamin D for many years, making them an additional source of it in the diet.
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Marta Kaczorek.

Marta Kaczorek Clinical nutritionist

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See also:

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Safe vitamin D dosage - what does nutritionist Marta Kaczorek say?"

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  • According to the scientific literature, vitamin D deficiency is found in up to  90% of Polesand.
  • Poland lies above 33° latitude and, due to the angle of the sun, dermal synthesis of vitamin D during the winter months is virtually  impossible .
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  • Nevertheless, before you start supplementation - consider testing serum 25 (OH)D concentrations . Why you should. Deficiency is a very individual issue and depends on, among other things, our age, weight, complexion and lifestyle. 
  • Follow the doses from the recommendations for the Polish population, indicated above in the article. These daily standards are derived from sufficient intake -  Adequate Intake  (AI)and.
  • AI is a dietary recommendation used when there is insufficient data to calculate an average requirement. It is the average level of nutrients consumed daily by a typical healthy population, which is assumed to be adequate for the population's needs.
  • Some vitamin D3 supplements are combined with omega-3 acids. When buying a product, pay attention to whether you are duplicating supplementation (you may unknowingly be consuming too much).

See also:

Summary

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I hope the topic of safe vitamin D supplementation is now clear to you. How good that you don't have to run out of the office at midday to absorb vitamin D. Well, and you'll save money on eggs!

I supplement vitamin D during the autumn and winter. Do you? Do you supplement with vitamin D? Let me know in the comments.

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FAQ

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. Is it possible to take 4000 vitamin D? .

Yes, it is possible to supplement with 4000 IU of vitamin D3 per day if this is the recommendation of a doctor and our actual requirement. The standard recommendation is for an adult to supplement 2000 IU of vitamin D3.

. How many vitamin D3 tablets per day? .

The number of vitamin D3 tablets per day depends on our needs and the dose per tablet, which is an individual manufacturer issue. The average requirement for an adult is 2000 IU. Dietary supplements in tablets where one has, for example, 1,000 IU should be taken two per day. Read the leaflets carefully and adjust the dose for yourself after consulting your doctor.

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. When to take vitamin D in the morning or evening? .

It is recommended to take vitamin D3 in the first half of the day, as some scientific studies suggest that vitamin D3 may negatively affect the secretion of melatonin (the so-called sleep hormone) and make it difficult to fall asleep.

. How much vitamin D a day in winter? .

The amount of daily vitamin D3 intake in winter depends on individual needs determined with a doctor based on blood tests. Experts recommend that Polish adults should take a minimum of 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 in winter, due to the limited amount of sunlight and covering the body. Both of these factors hinder the natural synthesis of vitamin D3 in the skin.

. Can you overdose on vitamin D? .

Yes, it is possible to overdose on vitamin D3 and this is called vitamin D hypervitaminosis. This most often occurs as a result of over-supplementation and exceeding daily doses. Overdosing is dangerous to health and can adversely affect the cardiovascular, nervous and excretory systems.

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Resources

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. See all .

Ma, Z. (2019). Vitamin D and Human Health. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20010145

St, H., & Sk, P. (2012). Vitamin D supplementation: What's known, what to do, and what's needed. Pharmacotherapy, 32(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/phar.1037

Adequate intake | EFSA. (n.d.). Retrieved 20 March 2023, from https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/glossary/adequate-intake

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Meet the team
Nina Wawryszuk - Tekst

Natu.Care Editor

Nina Wawryszuk

Nina Wawryszuk specialises in sports supplementation, strength training and psychosomatics. On a daily basis, in addition to writing articles for Natu.Care, as a personal trainer she helps athletes improve their performance through training, diet and supplementation.

Marta Kaczorek - Recenzja

Clinical nutritionist

Marta Kaczorek
Verified by an expert

Clinical nutritionist and personal trainer in the process of qualifying as a health coach.

Michael Tomaszewski - Redakcja

Editor

Michael Tomaszewski

Graduate of Journalism and Artes Liberales at the University of Warsaw. Since 2017, he has been working with the biggest portals in Poland and abroad as an editor. Previously worked for 3 years in one of the leading pharmaceutical companies - he knows the health and beauty industry inside out. In his free time, he most enjoys playing tennis or skiing.

Emilia Moskal - Fact-checking

Natu.Care Editor

Emilia Moskal

Emilia Moskal specialises in medical and psychological texts, including content for medical entities. She is a fan of simple language and reader-friendly communication. At Natu.Care, she writes educational articles.

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