Scientists are calling on the government to increase the recommended daily intake (RDI) of vitamin D to 2000 International Units (IU).

The current RDI's of vitamin D are 200 IU for adults up to 50 years of age, 400 IU for people between 51 and 70, and 600 IU for those aged 70 and over. The scientists say that the current RDI needs to be increased because research conducted in recent years has linked vitamin D deficiency to a myriad of diseases including: tuberculosis, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, type-1 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart failure, muscle myopathy, and cancer. They believe that the incidence of many of these diseases could be reduced by 20%-50% or more, if the occurrence of vitamin D deficiency – currently 40-60% of the US population – and insufficiency were eradicated by increasing vitamin D intake to ensure serum levels of 40-60 ng/m.

The “call to D*action” is led by eminent scientist Anthony Norman, professor emeritus of biochemistry and of biomedical sciences at the University of California Riverside. “2000 IU per day of vitamin D3, a form of vitamin D, is the appropriate intake for most adult Americans,” said Norman, in a news release. “This intake is the National Academy of Sciences/Institute of Medicine's upper limit for daily intake, and is 400 IU less than the National Academy of Sciences/Institute of Medicine's ‘no adverse health effect' level.”

In October 2008 the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) announced its decision to double the daily amount of vitamin D it recommends for all children to 400 IU per day. Click here to read this story.

The Vitamin D Deficiency Epidemic – A Call to D*Action. GrassrootsHealth.

News release: Vitamin D Expert at UC Riverside Leads UC Scientists' Call Recommending Increase in Daily Vitamin D Intake. University of California Riverside. November 13th 2008.