Episode Transcript
Interviewer: Vitamin D supplements. Dr. Kirtly Jones, do I need to take one?
Dr. Jones: That's a great question and it's debated hotly. Vitamin D is important. It helps your body absorb calcium for strong bones and it may help your micro biome so maybe your gut likes it. And there's some debate about your heart.
Foods that have it include milk, and eggs, and fish, and if you don't eat those things and you don't get outside or if you block up and cover up like your dermatologist said, you should take a supplement. The Institute of Medicine recommends 600 international units for young people and 800 for older people but not the 2,000, 4,000, 6,000, millions, whatever that you can get at the health food store. Or get out in the sun for about 20 minutes every day and your body will get all the vitamin D that you need.
updated: October 4, 2021
originally published: April 27, 2017