Suggested vitamin D dose may be too low

Recent studies have shown that vitamin D may help prevent many illnesses associated with aging, including heart attacks, Alzheimer's, diabetes and some cancers. But researchers are beginning to conclude that the government's recommended dietary allowances (RDA) for the vitamin are too low, especially for boomers and seniors.

The government's RDA for people 50 and older is 400-600 IUs (international units) a day. But the International Osteoporosis Foundation is urging the RDA be raised to 800-1,000 IUs for people older than 50. For those who are obese, have osteoporosis or get very limited exposure to sunshine, the foundation recommends an RDA as high as 2,000 IU.

Getting enough vitamin D from foods may be tricky: An 8-ounce glass of vitamin-D-fortified milk has only about 100 IU. Fortunately, supplements are relatively inexpensive. And you can get more than enough of the "sunshine vitamin" for free: Your body will produce about 10,000 IUs with just a 30-minute exposure on a sunny day.