Here we go again. New York Times reporter Gina Kolata--who has written articles critical of mammograms, food allergy testing, and even the humble exercise cool-down--has another axe to grind, this time against vitamin D. She's so eager to debunk that her article in yesterday's paper makes it tough to even make sense of the report by a prestigious Institute of Medicine panel convened to make new recommendations on Vitamin D and calcium intake. The Times headline alone, "Report Questions Need for 2 Diet Supplements," does little to convey the contents of the panel's 999 page report.

In fact, the panel concluded the U.S. should triple recommended daily intake of Vitamin D from 200 to 600 international units daily, and double what's considered a safe upper limit of intake from 2,000 to 4,000 international units daily for optimal health in people ages 9 to 70 years old. A major take-away from the report (produced by a committee of 13 physician professors at major university medical centers including Harvard, Yale, Baylor, Penn State, Cornell and University of California at San Diego) is that before taking more than the recommended amount of vitamin D, people should be tested for a deficiency of the vitamin, which is fat soluble and can accumulate to levels that adversely effect health if taken by someone without a deficiency.