The new recommendation calls for everyone age one to 70 to take 600 IU of vitamin D a day, while those 71 and older should take 800 IU. At these intakes, 97.5 per cent of the population would have their needs for the nutrient met. The current guideline from Health Canada ranges from 200 IU to 600 IU, depending on age, although breastfed babies need 400 IU daily, a level the panel continues to endorse. The panel was composed of nutrition and vitamin experts from Canada and the United States, but didn’t include any of the scientists who have been most vocal in supporting the role of the nutrient in a wide variety of chronic diseases. The new recommendations of only 600 to 800 IU are a “health catastrophe,” according to Cedric Garland, a professor of preventive medicine at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego.Dr. Garland is one of the leading U.S. vitamin D researchers, and published the first studies showing that colon cancer is more prevalent in northerly areas, a strong hint that seasonal lack of vitamin D due to less wintertime sunshine is a trigger. He later duplicated the work with breast cancer.“Vitamin D has the capability of preventing most cases of breast cancer, virtually all cases of bowel cancer,” he said. “The idea that we’re sitting back and allowing time to go forward without acting on these discoveries is extremely frustrating.”Dr. Garland says the panel should have set a daily dose of at least 2,000 IU.http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/vitamin-d-panel-triples-recom...