Dietary Supplements

Vitamin D studies show a link between people’s ability to maintain healthy blood glucose levels and having enough vitamin D in their blood. However, studies to determine the proper vitamin D levels for preventing diabetes are ongoing; no special recommendations have been made about vitamin D levels or supplements for people with prediabetes.

Currently, the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the agency that recommends supplementation levels based on current science, provides the following guidelines for daily vitamin D intake:

  • People ages 1 to 70 years may require 600 International Units (IUs).
  • People ages 71 and older may require as much as 800 IUs.

The IOM also recommended that no more than 4,000 IUs of vitamin D be taken per day.

To help ensure coordinated and safe care, people should discuss use of complementary and alternative medicine practices, including the use of dietary supplements, with their health care provider.

More information about using dietary supplements to help with diabetes is provided in the NIDDK health topic, Complementary and Alternative Medical Therapies for Diabetes.

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