![]() The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows manufacturers to add up to 84 IU per 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of vitamin D3 to cow’s milk and 84 IU per 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of vitamin D2 to plant-based milk alternatives ( 9).ĭrinking vitamin D milk increases the amount of vitamin D people get and improves levels of vitamin D in the blood ( 5). The combination of calcium and vitamin D also helps prevent and treat osteomalacia, or soft bones, which accompanies rickets and can affect older adults ( 7, 8). These two nutrients work well together, as vitamin D aids calcium absorption into your bones, thus helping strengthen them. While milk doesn’t naturally contain vitamin D, it’s a good source of calcium. It has been added to cow’s milk since the 1930s when the practice was implemented as a public health initiative to reduce rickets, which causes poor bone development and deformities in children ( 6). ![]() In the United States, it’s not mandated, but most milk manufacturers add it voluntarily during milk processing ( 5). ![]() In some countries, including Canada and Sweden, vitamin D is added to cow’s milk by law. Taking a supplement and using fortified foods like vitamin D milk are good ways to increase your intake and blood levels of vitamin D. Other factors, such as having obesity or underweight, being physically inactive, and having certain genetic mutations, can also put you at risk of having lower vitamin D levels ( 4). People who live in northern latitudes where sunshine is limited in the winter, as well as those who don’t spend much time in the sun, often have lower blood levels of vitamin D ( 2, 3). In fact, one study found that 25% of Canadians don’t meet their needs through diet alone ( 3). Many people don’t meet the recommendations for vitamin D. Instead, most vitamin D is made in your body when your skin is exposed to the sun ( 2). With the exception of fatty fish like salmon, which contains 447 IU in a 3-ounce (85-gram) serving, very few foods are good sources of vitamin D. For children aged 1–3, it’s 600 IU or 15 mcg per day ( 1). The recommended Daily Value (DV) for vitamin D is 800 international units (IU), or 20 mcg per day for all adults and children over 4 years old.
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