[caption id="attachment_1077" align="alignleft" width="425" caption="Loading up on "the sunshine drug.""] [/caption] Vitamin D has been all over the news recently. So what's all the fuss about? An August 25 Montreal Gazette story, ' Vitamin D deficiency linked to cancer, autoimmune disease genes,' reports:

"Scientists have found that vitamin D influences more than 200 genes, including ones related to cancer and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis -- a discovery that shows how serious vitamin D deficiency can be. Worldwide, an estimated one billion people are deficient in vitamin D, and a team of scientists from Britain and Canada said health authorities should consider recommending supplements for those at most risk."

Back in March, CBC News reported on Canadian deficiencies in the story ' Vitamin D deficiency in 1.1 million Canadians':

"Most Canadians have enough vitamin D in their blood for bone health, but only one third are above the level increasingly believed necessary for overall health and disease prevention, Statistics Canada says. More than 1.1 million Canadians or about four per cent of the population are vitamin D deficient, or low enough to cause nutritional rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults.

If you're worried about your vitamin D levels, the Canadian Vitamin D Society urges you to be tested. Their website homepage states:

"Have your physician administer a calcidiol test (also know as a 25-hyrdoxyvitamin D test). More important than your daily intake of vitamin D are your actual vitamin D blood levels. Optimal vitamin D blood levels are 50 ng/mL (125 nmol/L)‚ according to The Vitamin D Council."

Do you take a vitamin D supplement? Are you concerned about your vitamin D level? Would you consider undergoing the calcidiol test? Post a comment and let us know.