For a moment, I thought I was reading something I’d written myself:

“[there is] sufficient evidence to shift the burden of proof to those who believe that performing elective surgery on vitamin D deficient patients comports with the highest standards of patient safety and public health. Until such data is available, and in consideration of the low cost, safety and efficacy of supplementation of a nutrient (i.e., not a drug, foreign chemical, or blood product), we further propose that evidence is sufficient at present to support testing and supplementation to target levels as a practical default. We contend that learning whether it is safe to deviate far from ancestral levels of vitamin D in patients facing the trauma of surgery, and the demands of healing, is an overarching question, and that until this answer is in hand measurement and supplementation as indicated is preferred to the no-action approach of the status quo.”

That quote comes from a review of all the scientific studies of vitamin D levels and surgical outcomes, written by Dr. Igler and Dr. Hogan of University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

The authors found 31 studies of surgical outcomes and vitamin D that met their criteria and only 5 studies that showed no effect of vitamin D levels on surgical outcomes.

Twenty-six studies showed that higher vitamin D levels helped prevent every poor surgical outcome, including infection (lung transplants) to cancer (kidney transplants) to death (cardiac surgery) to pain (knee surgery).

These authors believe that natural vitamin D levels greater than 40 ng/mL should be the target levels for surgical patients.

Because you never know when you might need surgery, this means that everyone should be taking 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 a day. The best way to take vitamin D is with its cofactors, such as three capsules a day of D3Plus.

If you want to know your vitamin D blood level, either before or after you begin supplementing, either ask your doctor to order the test or purchase an in-home test kit at the Vitamin D Council.