Private MD News

Researchers work toward more precise vitamin D test

Category: Vitamin D Deficiency-Diagnosis and Treatment

At some point in the near future, vitamin D tests may be able to indicate whether a person is getting too little sunshine or if their diet does not contain enough of the nutrient. A team of researchers from Kingston University in London is currently working on ways to differentiate between vitamin D2 and D3 from blood tests.

D2 is made naturally by the skin following exposure to the sun's ultraviolet light, while D3 is taken into the body through diet. Both types of vitamin D play important roles in the body and maintaining a strong balance of both is important for health.

This is why the researchers are working toward a vitamin D test that could differentiate more accurately between both types of the nutrient. It could give doctors a better idea of what kind of recommendations they need to give to their patients. Given the fact that so many people have low levels of the nutrient, the researchers said that a proper diagnosis is important.

"It's crucial to have a normal vitamin D level and that is becoming increasingly apparent across a broad range of diseases, including cardiovascular, neurological and cancer cases," Angus Dalgleish, who is working on the project.