Vitamin D Blood Levels (25D in ng/mL)
less than 10 - highest risk - for dozens of diseases and most cancers
10 Prevents rickets - which still affects thousands of inner city children of color in northern US cities every winter
less than 20
Vitamin D Deficiency
Associated with a high risk for developing dozens of diseases
38% of all Americans are in this very low range
72% of African-Americans are
44% of Hispanic-Americans are
39% of obese Americans are (obese = BMI >29.9; BMI = pounds/inches ht/inches ht x 704)
19% of European-Americans are
Reference: Liu 2018 Br J Nutr 119:928
20 - 29.9 Vitamin D
Insufficiency
Associated with increased risk for dozens of diseases
38% of all Americans are in this low range
44% of European-Americans are
43% of Hispanic-Americans are
42% of obese Americans are (obese = BMI >29.9; BMI = pounds/inches ht/inches ht x 7.04)
23% of African-Americans are
Reference: Liu 2018 Br J Nutr 119:928
24 Produced by giving healthy adults 600 units of vitamin D3 daily for 6 months with no other source of vitamin D given
Reference: Shirvani 2019 Scientific Reports 9:17685
26 The average vitamin D blood level of all US adults
Reference: Liu 2018 Br J Nutr 119:928
30 - 100 Adequate
vitamin D
Associated with lower risk for dozens of diseases
24% of all Americans are adequate
39% of European-Americans are
20% of obese Americans are
13% of Hispanic-Americans are
5% of African-Americans are
Reference: Liu 2018 Br J Nutr 119:928
Be careful !
There are 2 different systems for reporting 25D levels.
One uses nanograms per milliliter or ng/mL.
The other uses nanomoles per liter or nmol/L.
They are NOT the same.
For example, 20 ng/mL = 50 nmol/L.
If you read a paper using the nmol/L, their numbers will look high.
Divide the nmol/L by 2.5 to get 25D into the ng/mL system that I use exclusively in my videos.