--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It now appears most of us need about…" description: "\"“It now appears most of us need about 5,000 units a day if we avoid the sun. The government was off by a factor of ten; an ,i>“order-of-magnitude error..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/john-cannell-md-73997_health-and-fitness_it-now-appears-most-of-us-need-about-5-0_618459.jpg" --- # It now appears most of us need about 5,000 units a day if… ![“It now appears most of us need about 5,000 units a day if we avoid the sun. The government was off by a factor of ten; an ,i>“order-of-magnitude error.”,/i> Mistakes of this scale are rare in medicine.” quote by John Cannell, MD](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/john-cannell-md-73997_health-and-fitness_it-now-appears-most-of-us-need-about-5-0_618459.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/john-cannell-md-73997_health-and-fitness_it-now-appears-most-of-us-need-about-5-0_618459.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a20/john-cannell-md-73997_health-and-fitness_it-now-appears-most-of-us-need-about-5-0_618459.jpg) > ““It now appears most of us need about 5,000 units a day if we avoid the sun. The government was off by a factor of ten; an ,i>“order-of-magnitude error.”,/i> Mistakes of this scale are rare in medicine.”” John Cannell, MD ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A severe vitamin D deficiency requires far higher daily intake than commonly advised, indicating a large error in public health guidelines. **In simple terms:** We need much more vitamin D daily than thought. Key Takeaway Reevaluate vitamin D recommendations. Themes health nutrition public policy Mood concerned inquisitive Type scientific analytical When to use this quote - medical guidelines - sun exposure - dietary planning Key Concepts vitamin D deficiency dose calculation Questions to Reflect On - Are current vitamin D guidelines sufficient? - What factors cause such large errors? A Different Perspective Guidelines may be outdated or miscalculated. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Health and fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health-and-fitness/) [Medicine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medicine/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/) [Supplements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supplements/) [Vitamin d](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vitamin-d/) ## Related quotes > [In Riyadh, there's going to be a huge project that will house at least 12,000 units with inhabitants of approximately 150,000 people. 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A glass of milk, for example, has only 100 IU. Other foods, such as orange juice, yogurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-c-garland/many-people-are-deficient-in-vitamin-d-a-glass-of-milk-for-example/) Frank C. Garland > [“Vegans following a whole food diet had a borderline supply of vitamin B12. Folic acid, vitamin B6, TSH, iron metabolism, and the blood count…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joachim-schwarz/vegans-following-a-whole-food-diet-had-a-borderline-supply-of-vitamin/) Joachim Schwarz > [“Many black people in the UK are vitamin D deficient.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/many-black-people-in-the-uk-are-vitamin-d-deficient/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Low levels of vitamin D in the population as a whole suggest that most people need to take a vitamin D supplement. This may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/low-levels-of-vitamin-d-in-the-population-as-a-whole-suggest-that/) [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) ## More by John Cannell, MD > [“The choice is yours: trust the government or trust Mother Nature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cannell-md/the-choice-is-yours-trust-the-government-or-trust-mother-nature/) John Cannell, MD > [“50,000-63,000 individuals in the United States and 19,000-25,000 in the UK die prematurely from cancer annually due to insufficient vitamin D.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cannell-md/50-000-63-000-individuals-in-the-united-states-and-19-000-25-000-in/) John Cannell, MD > [“More than three fourths of all Americans are vitamin D-deficient.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cannell-md/more-than-three-fourths-of-all-americans-are-vitamin-d-deficient/) John Cannell, MD Explore all 4 John Cannell, MD quotes ## More Health and fitness quotes > [Good things come to those who hustle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-noll/good-things-come-to-those-who-hustle/) [Chuck Noll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-noll/) > [“Fitness training not only strengthens you, but also promotes a wholesome quality of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-chirisa/fitness-training-not-only-strengthens-you-but-also-promotes-a/) [Wayne Chirisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-chirisa/) > [“Your body adapts to how you treat it; consistency is the greatest coach it will ever know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-chirisa/your-body-adapts-to-how-you-treat-it-consistency-is-the-greatest/) [Wayne Chirisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-chirisa/) > [“Although yoga has its origins in ancient India, its methods and purposes are universal, relying not on cultural background, faith or deity, but simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-fraser/although-yoga-has-its-origins-in-ancient-india-its-methods-and/) Tara Fraser > [“Whenever I am in a difficult situation where there seems to be no way out, I think about all the times I have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idowu-koyenikan/whenever-i-am-in-a-difficult-situation-where-there-seems-to-be-no-way/) [Idowu Koyenikan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idowu-koyenikan/) > [“Caring for your body is not self-indulgence, it’s strategic preparation for everything life demands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-chirisa/caring-for-your-body-is-not-self-indulgence-it-s-strategic/) [Wayne Chirisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-chirisa/) > [“The vital difference between dreamers and achievers boils down to some very basic, simple habits. 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