(NaturalNews) Vitamin D deficiency is widespread. In fact, there have been so many studies linking many of today's disease epidemics to inadequate blood levels of vitamin D that to deny a connection is utter foolishness. But a committee from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has made a strange -- and false -- announcement on behalf of the U.S. and Canadian governments that North Americans already get plenty of vitamin D and do not need to supplement with the vitamin to maintain good health.
The "Food and Nutrition Board" committee that compiled the report basically came to the conclusion that current recommended daily intake (RDI) levels for vitamin D (which are typically no more than 400 international units (IU) of the vitamin a day) are good enough. The committee also had the audacity to suggest that the only benefit to be derived from vitamin D is to maintain healthy bones when consumed along with calcium.
According to the IOM website, the group is an "independent, nonprofit organization that works outside of government to provide unbiased and authoritative advice to decision makers and the public." But a simple glance at the report announcement released today reveals that "the United States and Canadian governments asked the IOM" to conduct the report. Not so unbiased after all, is it?
One has to wonder what data the committee used to come to its conclusion because a plethora of studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency -- and by deficiency, this means levels that meet current RDI guidelines, but that are woefully inadequate at preventing serious illness -- is linked to heart disease, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, stroke, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, arthritis, osteoporosis, birth defects, muscle problems, and cancer, among many other things.
The group even went so far as to warn people not to supplement with vitamin D because it insists that doing so "may be harmful". But again, numerous studies have shown that intake levels far above current RDI guidelines are not only safe, but also highly beneficial in warding off many of the serious diseases that people face in today's world.
To learn the truth about vitamin D, check out the Vitamin D Council website:
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/Sources for this story include:http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AT0PG20101130http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/Dietary-Reference-Intakes-for-Calcium...
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