With study after study touting the potential benefits of vitamin D—including the possibility it may stave off some cancers—requests for tests to check patients' blood levels have soared in the last year, leaving some medical labs scrambling to meet demand. LifeLabs, which provides a broad range of medical testing in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec, saw demand for vitamin D tests skyrocket by 90 percent between April 2007 and March 2008, according to company spokesman Norm Berberich.

"Because of the way in which our business operates, we don't provide this test without a physician request," he says. "This means more physicians are requesting this test for their patients."

Although the company is managing to meet increased patient and physician demand, Berberich says that turnaround times have increased as a result.

Gerry Schwalfenberg, an Edmonton family physician who specializes in environmental medicine and deficiencies, regularly orders the vitamin D test for his patients and recommends that other doctors do the same.

Preliminary findings of a yet-to-be-published study of more than 1,400 people found 67 percent of participants did not have enough vitamin D, according to Schwalfenberg, one of the study's authors.

While some may argue that the increasing number of vitamin D tests is putting undue strain on an already overburdened healthcare system, he argues that knowing patients' blood levels and treating them accordingly could lead to billions of dollars in healthcare savings in the long run. S

chwalfenberg says research strongly suggests that optimal levels of vitamin D may prevent certain cancers and Type 1 diabetes. It is already known to keep bones strong, reduce muscle pain and maintain good balance, helping to prevent falls in the elderly, he adds.

"I think people should know what their level is and I think they need to know how much they should take to replenish their vitamin D," he says. "They will generally feel a lot better."

Source: The Canadian Press