The short version
- 1
About 2 in 3 Indian adults test as deficient, sunshine and all. Darker skin, indoor lives, pollution and winter all play a part.11,14,17
- 2
Labs disagree on “normal”. The US National Academies say 20 ng/mL is enough for nearly everyone; the 30 line many reports print was dropped by the Endocrine Society in 2024.1,5
- 3
More isn’t better. Delhi doctors reported 16 cases of vitamin D toxicity, all from prescribed mega-doses. Your doctor decides the dose.19
Your number
Where does your vitamin D sit?
Slide the dot to the 25-OH vitamin D on your report.
Your report
Why labs print different cut-offs
- US National Academies, 2011
- Under 12 is at risk, 12–20 is low for some, 20 or more is enough for nearly everyone, and above 50 is a concern. They warned that higher cut-offs overstate how many people are short.1,2
- Endocrine Society, 2011
- Under 20 deficient, 21–29 insufficient, 30 or more sufficient: the bands many labs still print.3
- Endocrine Society, 2024
- Dropped those 30 and 20–30 definitions, and now suggests against routine testing unless there’s a reason to test.4,5
- An Indian review, 2026
- Argues that 12 ng/mL fits Indians best, and warns against mass screening and supplementing people without symptoms.20
Why
Why so many Indians run low
- Indoor, covered lives
- Clothes cover most skin, sun rarely reaches inside crowded city homes, and SPF 15 sunscreen blocks over 95% of the light that makes vitamin D. In Pune, deficiency was 34% in the city against 13% in villages.14,15,21
- Pollution
- Toddlers in polluted Mori Gate, Delhi, averaged 12.4 ng/mL, against 27.1 in less polluted Gurgaon.17
- Winter in the north
- In a Delhi winter, children who got 30 minutes of sun a day for 4 weeks didn’t raise their levels.16
Sun
What the sun can and can’t do
- 11 to 1
- is when UVB, the light that makes vitamin D, peaks across India, in every season.16
- 30 min
- of sun, preferably between 11 am and 2 pm, is what ICMR-NIN suggests for children and teens.22
It works, modestly. In a 6-month Pune trial, office-going men who added 20 minutes a day of sun on the face and forearms saw their levels rise a little. Sun on bare skin, outdoors, is what counts; protect your skin if you’re out for long.7,9,18
On your plate
Vitamin D in Indian food
| Food and serving | Vitamin D per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Hilsa23100 g | 10 µg | 10 µgraw |
| Pomfret, black23100 g | 5.6 µg | 5.6 µgraw |
| Sardine (mathi)23100 g | 3.5 µg | 3.5 µgraw |
| Catla23100 g | 2.7 µg | 2.7 µgraw |
| Desi (country-hen) egg231 egg (45 g) | 2 µg | 4.5 µgone region |
| Mackerel (bangda)23100 g | 1.4 µg | 1.4 µgraw |
| Egg231 egg (50 g) | 0.4 µg | 0.8 µg |
| Buffalo milk231 glass (200 ml) | 0.3 µg | 0.2 µg |
| Cow’s milk231 glass (200 ml) | 0.3 µg | 0.1 µg |
Vegetarians will find it hard to get much from food alone, unless a food has vitamin D added: check the label. Mushrooms can carry some, but the amount swings hugely with how much light they got; IFCT tested a single sample.8,14,23
Myths
What you might hear
They say
“India is sunny, so I can’t be low.”
They say
“Early-morning sun at 7 am is best for vitamin D.”
They say
“A glass of milk will fix it.”
They say
“Below 30 means I’m deficient.”
They say
“Everyone needs a vitamin D test every year.”
Actually
The Endocrine Society (2024) suggests against routine testing without a reason.4
They say
“More vitamin D is always safer.”
See a doctor soon if
- You’re on high-dose vitamin D sachets or injections and feel sick or vomit, lose your appetite, get constipated, feel weak or confused.
- You have bone pain in your back, ribs, hips or legs, or weak muscles that make stairs or getting up from a chair hard.
- You break a bone after a minor fall.
In the Delhi toxicity cases, blood levels reached a median of 371 ng/mL, with confusion, pancreatitis and kidney injury. Any supplement, and its dose, is your doctor’s call.
