Vitamin D has so many healthy effects, U.S. researchers said people may not be getting enough to receive the full benefit.

Mayo Clinic Health said recent studies have found elderly women taking vitamin D had better leg strength and fewer falls, and 93 percent of patients ages 10-65 with musculoskeletal pain were vitamin D deficient.

Researchers are looking at the vitamin's role in disease, given that lower incidences of prostate, colon and breast cancers, multiple sclerosis, and type I diabetes are found in regions that receive higher amounts of direct sunlight throughout the year -- which exposes skin to thousands of international units of vitamin D.

The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine recommends adults through age 50 take 200 IU of vitamin D daily. The recommendations go up for older adults to 400 IU for ages 51 to 70, and 600 IU for those over age 70.

Mayo researchers suggested the best levels for overall health may be higher -- perhaps in the range of 800 to 1,000 IU a day

< Prev		Next >