Academy Issues Revised Vitamin D Position Statement
Today the Academy issued a revised position statement on vitamin D after an updated review of the increasing body of scientific literature on this vitamin and its importance for optimal health. These revisions further address this growing issue, and strive to facilitate greater awareness of the state of the science and the role of the dermatologist in this area. As scientific evidence on this topic is continuing to evolve, future updates to the statement may occur to provide timely guidance on this important health issue.
The revised position statement continues to emphasize the importance of obtaining vitamin D from nutritional sources and dietary supplements, and not from unprotected exposure to ultraviolet radiation. It now also recommends that physicians provide information on options to obtain vitamin D safely to their patients who are at high-risk for vitamin D insufficiency. Members are advised to use the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine reference standard as a minimum guideline for intake levels, but consider a daily total dose of 1000 IU vitamin D for adult high-risk groups, such as those with dark skin, elderly persons or people who regularly and properly practice photoprotection.
In approving the revisions to the Academy vitamin D position statement, the Board of Directors also indicated support for a recently drafted statement on this topic from the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention, of which the Academy is a core member.
The revised Academy position statement may be viewed on the Academy Web site under the Featured Items section: www.aad.org.
The National Council's position statement may be viewed at: www.skincancerprevention.org.
If you have any difficulties accessing these documents, please contact Allen McMillen in the Science and Quality Department at 847-240-1724 or amcmillen@aad.org.
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