Agency: No point in measuring vitamin D levels in ordinary blood tests
Testing vitamin D levels in the blood is not prohibited, but including it in routine blood tests is not medically justified, the Health Insurance Fund says.
Maria-Elisa Tuulik, senior specialist in communications and marketing at the Health Insurance Fund (Tervisekassa), told ERR that if a doctor determines there is a medical need to assess a patient's vitamin D level, it can certainly be done.
"Testing vitamin D levels in the blood is not prohibited, but including it in routine blood tests is not medically justified," Tuulik added.
She referred to an article by endocrinologist Vallo Volke published in the journal Eesti Arst in 2024, in which the doctor stated that adults up to the age of 75 do not need to take vitamin D regularly, nor should their blood levels be routinely measured. The assumption is that people receive the recommended daily intake of vitamin D through their diet.
"According to the article, starting at age 75, it is advisable to take additional vitamin D alongside food, but even in this age group, there is no need for routine blood testing," Tuulik said.
In the article, Volke noted that vitamin D supplements are widely used and that the number of tests ordered to measure vitamin D levels among the general population has increased.
"The benefit-risk ratio of such additional vitamin D intake is unclear and the optimal vitamin D dose and serum 25(OH)D concentration for disease prevention have not been scientifically established," the endocrinologist concluded.
He added that children and adolescents up to age 18 should still take vitamin D to prevent rickets and reduce the risk of respiratory infections. Supplementation is also recommended for pregnant women, those at high risk of prediabetes and individuals aged 75 and older.
The Health Insurance Fund representative noted that under the guidelines for monitoring healthy adults, vitamin D supplementation should only be recommended if there is reason to believe someone is not getting enough through food and outdoor activity and is showing signs of deficiency.
According to Tuulik, the decision to test for vitamin D ultimately lies with the doctor.
A month ago, Eesti Ekspress reported on confusion over how to determine sufficient vitamin D levels. According to new guidelines published in 2024 by the U.S. Endocrine Society, the normal threshold is now 50 nmol/L, whereas previously, levels below 75 nmol/L were considered insufficient.
Following the publication of the new guidelines, several Estonian laboratories updated their vitamin D reference range to 50 nmol/L. However, Synlab continues to follow the earlier standard. The company's medical director, Paul Naaber, said vitamin D recommendations can depend on the region and it would be more appropriate to rely on local and Nordic research in Estonia.
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Editor: Karin Koppel, Marcus Turovski
