Last week I wrote a post about the AAP, American Academy of Pediatrics, increasing their recommendation for Vitamin D for children from 200 IU to 400 IU per day. 

Read the press release from the AAP here.

Over the weekend, this story ran on several national news programs - Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN.  I just ran across a great blog, the Purple Medical Blog, that has a collection of videos about Vitamin D and the segment from MSNBC from the Today Show. 

According to an article on msnbc.com, Adrian Gombart, a vitamin D researcher at Oregon State University, said the new recommendations are safe and conservative but that 400 units "is probably not enough."

Gombart's lab work in human tissue has shown that vitamin D helps increase levels of a protein that kills bacteria. He said many experts believe that between 800 and 1,000 units daily would be more effective at helping fight disease.

It may be necessary to take vitamin D supplements each day to ensure you and your family are getting enough.  Especially if you live in a northern climate or stay or work indoors most of the time.  

I live in the rainy northwest where the sun does not show itself very often from October to May.  I will definitely be taking my vitamin D supplements and making sure my family does as well.