Some health experts have been touting Vitamin D as a nutritional superstar. Beyond its well-known role as a bone builder, studies have suggested that high levels of D may do everything from reducing chronic pain to preventing the common cold.

At the same time, other reports have found that as many as half of all adults have less than ideal blood levels of D. That has sent sales of vitamin D blood tests and supplements soaring.

But other health experts say the science doesn’t yet support the use of the high doses that many people may be taking, especially when it comes to heart disease.

Dr. Runjhun Misra, internal medicine resident at the UConn Health Center, says studies are currently underway trying to find a link between vitamin D levels and heart disease risk. The data will not be available for months or even years.

Misra says there are a few small studies showing higher levels of vitamin D are associated with lower blood pressure and low levels of vitamin D associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer.

Vitamin D can be found in small amounts in a few foods, including fatty fish such as salmon, sardines and tuna. To make vitamin D more available, it is added to dairy products, juices, and cereals that are then said to be “fortified with vitamin D.” But most vitamin D – 80 to 90 percent of what the body gets – is obtained through exposure to sunlight.

You can also take vitamin D supplements. The Institute of Medicine publishes recommended daily allowance (RDA), which is an estimate of the amount of vitamin D that meets the needs of most people in the population. The current RDA for people up to 70 years of age is 600 international units (IU) a day, and over 70 years is 800 IU daily.

But Misra cautions that even though vitamin D is available in grocery stores, it is a medication and you should follow the guidelines and inform your doctor that you are taking it.

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