Optimal vitamin D level: a guide to your vitamin D result
The optimal vitamin D level in the clip below is 40–60 ng/mL, against the 30–100 ng/mL most labs call normal.
The short answer
Most labs call vitamin D low only under 30. So your report can come back normal at 35 while you sit under the optimal floor.
If your result sits outside the range printed on your own report, take it to your doctor. If it sits inside that range but outside the optimal one, you can bring this page and ask.
Sources disagree on optimal
“Most people can take a supplement in the range of 2,000 to 4,000 IUs a day depending where your blood levels are at and keep keep their vitamin D levels within that, you know, 40 to 60 range.”
Not every source agrees with that line.
“the optimal reference range is is probably 45 to 75 up to 100 is fine as well”
“I think going above 60 nanograms per milliliter is probably still okay like going to 80 you know like there's there's studies looking at 80 and it's still associated with lower all cause mortality”
“I do think that it's critical that we have adequate vitamin D3 levels so take enough vitamin D3 to get you in that ideal range uh uh 60 to 80 nanograms per ml”
Vitamin D levels chart
- under 30 ng/mL Most labs flag this as low
- 30–40 ng/mL Normal on most reports. Below optimal
- 40–60 ng/mL Optimal Dr. Rhonda Patrick · 15:08 →
- 60–100 ng/mL Normal on most reports. Sources disagree above 60
- over 100 ng/mL Most labs flag this as high
What vitamin D measures
The storage form of vitamin D. Your skin makes it from sunlight, and food supplies the rest.
It acts more like a hormone than a vitamin. It reaches bone, immune function and muscle. Levels fall in winter and with less sun.
Checked against MedlinePlus — Vitamin D Test.
Why it matters, on the record
“people that have vitamin D levels between 30 and 60 40 to 60 nanograms per milliliter have the lowest all-cause mortality including cardiovascular disease neurogenerative disease and cancer so I like to to to be within that range”
What moves your vitamin D level?
This grade comes from Precis, our sister site, which checks each claim against the interviews and studies it has read. Checked October 2026.
Is there one right daily dose of vitamin D?
“The right daily vitamin D dose depends on a blood test result, not a fixed number.” Precis rates this Leaning for.
Common questions
What should my vitamin D level be?
40–60 ng/mL, from a quote on video (Dr. Rhonda Patrick, 15:08). Other sources on this page put it higher.
What is a normal vitamin D level?
Most US labs print 30–100 ng/mL. Your report grades you against that range. It exists to catch disease, not to describe your best.
What does your vitamin D number mean?
On a typical lab range, under 30 ng/mL is low, 30 to 100 is normal and over 100 is high. Your own report prints its range next to your number, and that is the one your lab uses. The optimal range on this page comes with the quote behind it.
Is vitamin D of 35 normal?
A typical lab range calls it normal. On video, the optimal floor is 40 ng/mL (Dr. Rhonda Patrick, 15:08), so it sits below that line. The other numbers on this page sit higher, not lower.
Do the sources agree?
No. There is also a case for a different line: “the optimal reference range is is probably 45 to 75 up to 100 is fine as well” (Dr. Mark Hyman, 10:14)
What does the vitamin D test measure?
The storage form of vitamin D. Your skin makes it from sunlight, and food supplies the rest. It acts more like a hormone than a vitamin. It reaches bone, immune function and muscle. Levels fall in winter and with less sun.