Screening check
Should I get my vitamin D level checked?
Vitamin D testing has grown a lot, but no single blood level defines deficiency. The US Preventive Services Task Force looked at whether adults with no signs of deficiency should be tested. Check what it says for you.
About you
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What you will see
What the USPSTF says about vitamin D screening for you.
Educational only, not medical advice. This is not a vitamin D test. Ask a clinician about any symptoms.
Source
US Preventive Services Task Force, April 2021 recommendation on screening for vitamin D deficiency in adults. It is the current statement.
Validated in
Community-dwelling, nonpregnant adults with no signs or symptoms of vitamin D deficiency and no condition for which vitamin D treatment is recommended.
Limits
It cannot tell you your vitamin D level. It does not cover pregnancy, people in hospitals or nursing homes, or people with symptoms or a condition that calls for treatment.
What the USPSTF recommends
| Who | Recommendation | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Asymptomatic, community-dwelling, nonpregnant adults | Evidence is insufficient to weigh the benefits and harms of screening for vitamin D deficiency | I |
The 2021 statement matches the 2014 one. It does not apply to people with signs or symptoms such as bone pain or muscle weakness, to people with conditions for which vitamin D treatment is recommended, or to people who are hospitalized or live in institutions such as nursing homes (USPSTF 2021). Screening here means testing adults without symptoms and treating those found to be low. That is a separate question from taking vitamin D supplements without a test (USPSTF 2021).
Why it matters
Vitamin D plays an important role in calcium balance and bone metabolism (USPSTF 2021). US survey data from 2011 to 2014 found that 5% of people 1 year or older had very low levels (under 12 ng/mL) and 18% had levels between 12 and 19 ng/mL (USPSTF 2021). In some observational studies, lower levels were linked to fractures, falls, some cancers, diabetes, heart disease, depression and death, but these links are inconsistent and it is unknown whether low vitamin D causes them (USPSTF 2021).
Why the evidence falls short
No studies directly tested whether screening improves health (USPSTF 2021). In trials that treated adults found to have low levels, vitamin D made no difference to death, fractures or diabetes in pooled analyses, and the evidence on heart disease, cancer, falls and depression was inadequate (USPSTF 2021). Levels are also hard to measure accurately: different assays can read too high or too low, and there is no agreed cutoff for deficiency, so a test can label someone deficient who is not, or miss someone who is (USPSTF 2021).
Common questions
What level counts as low?
There is no consensus. According to the National Academy of Medicine, 97.5% of people have their needs met at a level of 20 ng/mL, and the risk of deficiency for bone health begins below 12 to 20 ng/mL. Needs may differ from person to person (USPSTF 2021).
Who is more likely to have low vitamin D?
Low vitamin D in the diet, little sun exposure (for example in winter, at high latitude or from avoiding the sun), older age and obesity are linked to lower levels (USPSTF 2021). Low levels are more common in non-Hispanic Black people, likely related to skin pigmentation, but it is debated whether the usual test is the best measure across groups. These factors explain only about 20% to 30% of the differences in levels between people (USPSTF 2021).
Is treating low vitamin D risky?
Low levels are usually treated with oral vitamin D, as D3 or D2, available by prescription or over the counter. Toxicity is rare and occurs at levels (typically over 150 ng/mL) far above what is considered enough; in general, oral vitamin D treatment does not seem to cause serious harms (USPSTF 2021).
Also see the vitamin D and calcium for fractures check, the osteoporosis screening check and all screening tests by age.
Sources
- US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Vitamin D Deficiency in Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. JAMA. 2021;325(14):1436-1442. www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/vitamin-d-deficiency-screening
Written and maintained by the uncovermyrisk.com editorial team. We do not have a medical reviewer; every claim links to its primary source above. Last reviewed: 2026-10-30. Spotted an error? See About.