Research
Micronutrients & recovery
Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] is the best indicator of vitamin D nutritional status, reflecting contributions from diet and dermal production, and should be standardized using programs like VDSP.
To check your Vitamin D status, ask for a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] test. This is the gold standard. Ensure your lab participates in standardization programs like VDSP for accurate results.
StrongSupportsVERY_HIGH confidence
There is a general consensus, also adopted by the ECTS, that the serum/plasma 25(OH)D concentration is the best indicator of vitamin D nutritional status, as it reflects the contributions from diet and dermal production in response to ultraviolet B (UVB) sunlight exposure.
Why this rating
Based on consensus of analytical experts and adoption by major health authorities.
Source
Current vitamin D status in European and Middle East countries and strategies to prevent vitamin D deficiency: a position statement of the European Calcified Tissue Society
Paul Lips et al. · European Journal of Endocrinology · 2019
DOI 10.1530/eje-18-0736
clinical_guidelineCited 668×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Vitamin D deficiency, defined as serum 25(OH)D <50 nmol/L, is prevalent in 30-60% of populations in Western, Southern, and Eastern Europe, and up to 80% in Middle Eastern countries, with severe deficiency (<30 nmol/L) affecting >10% of Europeans.Good
- The European Calcified Tissue Society recommends food fortification and routine Vitamin D supplementation for specific risk groups (infants, children, pregnant women, older persons, non-Western immigrants) to prevent deficiency.Good
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