A Brief Overview Of When/how Vitamin D Tests

Posted by Oliver Muller on January 19th, 2020

The best way to establish your vitamin D levels is to take a blood test. There are several forms of vitamin D, and popular opinion suggests that the best test to take is the 25(OH) D blood test, which stands for 25-hydroxyvitamin D. 1 You can take this test either at your doctor’s or purchase an in-home testing kit 2. Both ways produce accurate results. The test involves taking a small sample of your blood via a tiny prick on the finger, which is then analyzed in a laboratory to determine vitamin D levels.

Testing for vitamin D levels 3 has become more common and easy to do. For a time, the perception was that it was an expensive test that provided little or no definite proof for treatment. However, research 4 has shown that early testing can help with deficiency diagnosis and treatment. Fortunately, testing for vitamin D levels has become more prevalent these days with an increasing number of practitioners regularly testing patients.

The effects of vitamin D deficiency can remain hidden for many years and it’s easy to miss them. The best approach is to test for vitamin D levels twice a year to get an accurate picture: once in the middle of winter and then again at the end of the summer.

Vital to our health and wellbeing, Vitamin D is often called the sunshine vitamin. This is because sunlight is the best way to get this essential nutrient. Not a problem if you live in the Caribbean. But, if you’re in the northern hemisphere, getting enough sun exposure to produce the levels of vitamin D your body needs, can be a challenge.

Don’t worry, it can also be found in a range of delicious foods. Eating a vitamin D rich diet, particularly during the colder months, is a great way to help boost your levels. Here is a list of the 9 best vitamin D rich foods to include in your diet.

1. Sunlight — 5–30 minutes of sun exposure at least twice per week (over 100 percent DV)

2. Cod Liver Oil — 1 tablespoon: 1,360 IU (over 100 percent DV)

3. Wild-Caught Salmon — 3 ounces: 447 IU (over 100 percent DV)

4. Mackerel — 3 ounces: 306 IU (76 percent DV)

5. Tuna Fish — 3 ounces: 154 IU (39 percent DV)

6. Fortified Milk — 1 cup: 124 IU (31 percent DV)

7. Sardines — 2 sardines: 47 IU (12 percent DV)

8. Beef Liver — 3 ounces: 42 IU (11 percent DV)

9. Eggs — 1 egg: 41 IU (10 percent DV)

10. Fortified Cereal — 1 cup: 40 IU (10 percent DV)

11. Caviar — 1 tablespoon: 37 IU (9 percent DV)

12. Mushrooms — 1 cup: 2 IU (1 percent DV)

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