Vitamin D Tests Soar as Deficiency is Linked to Disease

Testing for vitamin D levels, once a relatively uncommon procedure, has skyrocketed as medical studies raise awareness about vitamin D deficiencies.

At Quest Diagnostics, tests ordered for vitamin D grew by about 80 percent from May 2007 to May 2008. Lab Corp. of America saw a 90 percent leap in D test requests from 2007 to 2008, and the Mayo Clinic processed 74 percent more tests in 2007 than in 2006.

The jump in vitamin D testing comes in the wake of emerging research linking vitamin D deficiency with infectious diseases, cancers, cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disorders. Other research indicates that many Americans are deficient in vitamin D.


Sources:

* USA Today July 14, 2008