Vitamin D

What it is · too little · too much · daily reference values by country

For reference only. This is not a diagnosis or a prescription. If you have concerns, talk to a doctor or pharmacist.

What it is

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for regulating calcium and phosphorus metabolism and for maintaining bone health. (Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare · Korean Nutrition Society)
Vitamin D can be obtained from food sources, and one form is also synthesised in the skin exposed to sunlight. (European Food Safety Authority)
Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, one of the main building blocks for strong bones. (US National Institutes of Health)
Wording taken from the NIH ODS fact sheet by SuppleBoard, with some details left out.
Your muscles need vitamin D to move, and your nerves need it to carry messages between your brain and your body. (US National Institutes of Health)
Wording taken from the NIH ODS fact sheet by SuppleBoard, with some details left out.

Getting too little

Low or lacking vitamin D causes rickets in children, raises the risk of osteomalacia and osteoporosis in adults, and is a major risk factor for falls and reduced physical function in vulnerable groups such as older adults. (Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare · Korean Nutrition Society)
Vitamin D deficiency may have a negative impact on bone density, resulting in soft bones in children (rickets) and fragile, misshapen bones in adults. (European Food Safety Authority)
In children, vitamin D deficiency causes rickets, a disease in which the bones become soft, weak, deformed, and painful. In teens and adults, vitamin D deficiency causes osteomalacia, a disorder that causes bone pain and muscle weakness. (US National Institutes of Health)
Wording taken from the NIH ODS fact sheet by SuppleBoard, with some details left out.

Getting too much

It has been reported that taking too much vitamin D over a long time may increase the risk of hypercalcemia (high calcium in the blood), reduced kidney function, soft tissue calcification, cardiovascular disease, and even death. (Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare · Korean Nutrition Society)
Very high levels of vitamin D in your blood can cause nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, confusion, pain, loss of appetite, dehydration, excessive urination and thirst, and kidney stones. (US National Institutes of Health)
Wording taken from the NIH ODS fact sheet by SuppleBoard, with some details left out.
High levels of vitamin D are almost always caused by consuming excessive amounts of vitamin D from dietary supplements. You cannot get too much vitamin D from sunshine because your skin limits the amount of vitamin D it makes. (US National Institutes of Health)
Wording taken from the NIH ODS fact sheet by SuppleBoard, with some details left out.

Daily reference values by country

Korea · US · EU — tap to open

These tables are daily reference values for healthy people. Numbers in the text above are a different kind of value, and you cannot diagnose yourself from them. How to read RDA, AI and UL

Korea — 2025 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (Ministry of Health and Welfare)

Group	AI	UL
0–5 months	5 μg	Checking
6–11 months	5 μg	Checking
1–2 years	5 μg	Checking
3–5 years	5 μg	Checking
Male · 6–8 years	5 μg	Checking
Male · 9–11 years	5 μg	Checking
Male · 12–14 years	10 μg	Checking
Male · 15–18 years	10 μg	Checking
Male · 19–29 years	10 μg	Checking
Male · 30–49 years	10 μg	Checking
Male · 50–64 years	10 μg	Checking
Male · 65–74 years	15 μg	Checking
Male · 75+ years	15 μg	Checking
Female · 6–8 years	5 μg	Checking
Female · 9–11 years	5 μg	Checking
Female · 12–14 years	10 μg	Checking
Female · 15–18 years	10 μg	Checking
Female · 19–29 years	10 μg	Checking
Female · 30–49 years	10 μg	Checking
Female · 50–64 years	10 μg	Checking
Female · 65–74 years	15 μg	Checking
Female · 75+ years	15 μg	Checking
Pregnancy	+0 μg	Checking
Lactation	+0 μg	Checking

US — NASEM (National Academies)

Group	EAR	RDA	AI	UL
1–3 years	10 μg	15 μg		63 μg
4–8 years	10 μg	15 μg		75 μg
Male · 9–13 years	10 μg	15 μg		100 μg
Male · 14–18 years	10 μg	15 μg		100 μg
Male · 19–30 years	10 μg	15 μg		100 μg
Male · 31–50 years	10 μg	15 μg		100 μg
Male · 51–70 years	10 μg	15 μg		100 μg
Male · 71+ years	10 μg	20 μg		100 μg
Female · 9–13 years	10 μg	15 μg		100 μg
Female · 14–18 years	10 μg	15 μg		100 μg
Female · 19–30 years	10 μg	15 μg		100 μg
Female · 31–50 years	10 μg	15 μg		100 μg
Female · 51–70 years	10 μg	15 μg		100 μg
Female · 71+ years	10 μg	20 μg		100 μg
Pregnancy · 14–18 years	10 μg	15 μg		100 μg
Pregnancy · 19–30 years	10 μg	15 μg		100 μg
Pregnancy · 31–50 years	10 μg	15 μg		100 μg
Lactation · 14–18 years	10 μg	15 μg		100 μg
Lactation · 19–30 years	10 μg	15 μg		100 μg
Lactation · 31–50 years	10 μg	15 μg		100 μg
0–6 months			10 μg	25 μg
7–12 months			10 μg	38 μg

UL — applies to: Unless otherwise specified, the UL represents total intake from food, water, and supplements.

EU — EFSA (European Food Safety Authority)

Group	AI	UL
7–11 months	10 μg
1–3 years	15 μg	50 μg
4–6 years	15 μg	50 μg
7–10 years	15 μg	50 μg
11–14 years	15 μg	100 μg
15–17 years	15 μg	100 μg
18+ years	15 μg	100 μg
Pregnancy · 18–60 years	15 μg
Lactation · 18–60 years	15 μg
Pregnancy · 18+ years		100 μg
Lactation · 18+ years		100 μg

UL — applies to: Total chronic daily intake from all dietary sources.

Sources

EFSA DRV Finder (Dietary Reference Values) · checked 2026-10-07
EFSA DRV Finder — nutrient descriptions · checked 2026-10-07
EFSA Overview on Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (v11, August 2025) · checked 2026-10-07
2025 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans, Vol. 2: Vitamins (Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare · The Korean Nutrition Society; in Korean) · checked 2026-10-07
2025 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans — summary tables (Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare · The Korean Nutrition Society; in Korean) · checked 2026-10-07
NASEM Dietary Reference Intakes summary tables (Appendix J, 2019) · checked 2026-10-07
NIH Office of Dietary Supplements — Vitamin D Fact Sheet for Consumers · checked 2026-10-13

The sentences are plain-language summaries of official sources written by SuppleBoard. Each English sentence was checked against the source text by an AI reviewer before publishing. The agencies do not endorse this site. Published 2026-10-17.

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