The D-Dilemma: Deciphering the News on Vitamin D

Seems like every time you turn around there's new information about the ever-vital vitamin D.

The most recent recommendations from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) were released last week, and for the first time in ten years, they've boosted the optimal daily amount a lot: going from 200-400 IUS to 600 IUs, for adults ages 19-70.

It's been previously reported that millions of Americans are seriously short on D and while the IOM actually finds that most of us are doing okay, there are many experts who still disagree, especially when it comes to women. (As for calcium, people need between 700 milligrams and 1,300 milligrams per day depending on their age.)

This important vitamin -- which helps to regulate bone development, muscle function, immune function, insulin activity, calcium balance, and phosphorus balance -- can be had in a variety of ways. You can get it from your diet, in items such as salmon, fortified milk, and eggs. Trouble is, many of us just don't get there from food alone.

The other way is from the sun. A handful of minutes a day in sunlight allows your body to naturally manufacture the substance. But, um...isn't the sun and its rascally rays an unequivocablely bad thing? As in: never leave home without sunblock?!! (Sunblock interferes with D production because it blocks the UVB rays that spur synthesis.) What's more, during the winter in many parts of the globe those rays just aren't as plentiful or strong, nor are we galavanting outside as much. And for people with darker skin, it's even more difficult to get enough because they are not able to naturally synthesize as much D.

So, what to do: Unless you're definitely diligent about getting your D via your diet, take a supplement which pairs Calcium and D. (They go hand-in-hand because without enough D, your body can't effectively absord calcium from foods.) Some of the sweet chews on the market today are downright delicious -- the new chocolate truffle-flavored Soft Chews from Caltrate have have 400 IU of D (what you'd get from six servings of fortified milk) and 600 mg of calcium (the equivalent of 17 servings of broccoli). (Viactiv Chews, by comparison, have 20% less calcium per chew, at 500 mg. Then again, their caramel flavored chew is seriously almost as good as a real caramel!)

For a more complete -- and certainly a more visual -- understanding of all this, surf on over to the really cool website Information is Beautiful. London-based author, data journalist and "information designer" David McCandless combines hard data with cool graphics to make even the most complex subjects uniquely satisfying and easy-to-understand.

Check out these clever visual representations of the vitamin D debate, below.