Vitamin D: amounts needed?

[DangerMouse]

I may not understand them (the results), but I sure as heck got 'em now...haha!

Looks like liver for you, DangerMouse!

You had me in a panic there for a moment as my first reaction was you were telling me I was going to experience liver failure. However, soon realised what you were saying and have to say no way will I eat liver, hate the foul smell of the stuff, too many childhood reminders of my mother and her awful cooking.

 

[Buckeye]

I'll be able to provide another data point on Feb 2 which is when we have our follow-up appointment to review our blood test results including Vitamin D level. After living in northern OH for 5 years and only taking a Vitamin D supplement for the last month, I'm pretty sure we will both show up as deficient. It will be interesting to see what level of supplementation the doc will recommend.

 

[Buckeye]

Jerry,

$40 self test at GrassrootsHealth | Vitamin D Action - GrassrootsHealth | Vitamin D Action

Do you have friends/relatives outside of NY?

Following WaltWill8's link, I found an excellent video on Vitamin D. The speaker (Dr. Robert Heaney) talks about healthy blood levels and about safe supplementation levels. If you don't want to watch the whole video, he recommended 2000 IU's as the daily level of supplementation. It's 44 minutes long but it's very interesting.

YouTube - Whats a Vitamin D Deficiency?

 

[Meadbh]

Thank you Buckeye, that's exactly the kind of science I can use! Tomorrow morning I'm going to double my daily dose of Vitamin D to 2000 units.

 

[mark500]

Serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol is the precursor measured in the serum to check a vitamin d level. My level was 25ng/ml in November (lower normal), so I took 3000 units per day for a few weeks. My level went up to about 45ng/ml. Currently, controversy exists regarding the optimum serum level and effects of supplements. Do some research. The waters are still muddy.

Vitamin D

 

[marvholly]

I am somewhat surprised not to see Rich in Tampa responding here. Maybe he is on vacation.

I suspect this is much like the dairy, margarine, beef, eggs & shrimp cholesterol discussion back about 40-50 years ago. These have somewhat changed in the last 10-15 years. This is a result of new research and lifestyle studies. I am sure the same is ongoing now w/ D. Personally, I take a multi w/ woo IU, a Calcium w/ 600 IU and added D w/400 IU every am and repeat the calcium & D late afternoon. Total/day = 2200 IU. This was the regime Dr. put me on and has been tested. The body can only absorb so much any vitamin/mineral at any one time. Also I live in the north and don’t have much/any sun time any part of the year w/work & home stuff.

 

[Whisper9999]

Wasgotfire, maybe if you get naked you can get away with 10 minutes. Seems I heard something like that, anyway.
Not unusual to grow out of the ADHD around 15 or so, Wasgotfire. Maybe you did that, too?

Not necessarily. Sun exposure in the first part of the morning and last part of the afternoon produce very little endogenous Vitamin D.

 

[Whisper9999]

I am somewhat surprised not to see Rich in Tampa responding here. Maybe he is on vacation.

I suspect this is much like the dairy, margarine, beef, eggs & shrimp cholesterol discussion back about 40-50 years ago. These have somewhat changed in the last 10-15 years. This is a result of new research and lifestyle studies. I am sure the same is ongoing now w/ D. Personally, I take a multi w/ woo IU, a Calcium w/ 600 IU and added D w/400 IU every am and repeat the calcium & D late afternoon. Total/day = 2200 IU. This was the regime Dr. put me on and has been tested. The body can only absorb so much any vitamin/mineral at any one time. Also I live in the north and don’t have much/any sun time any part of the year w/work & home stuff.

Calcium and Vitamin C can cause prostate and GI cancers, respectively, which is one of the reasons they probably have not done well in some of the studies. This is the opposite with Vitamin D: it decreases risk for multiple types of cancers and is an immune booster. You need way more than 400 IU. Btw, Vitaimin D also lowers arterial inflammation.

 

[FinanceDude]

No. I have an annual blood test done but Vitamin D level is not on the list of things tested.

Other than cholesterol and basic stuff, I don't think the test for much of anything. My aunt and uncle go to an MD who is also trained in homepathy and had extensive blood tests done that showed vitamin and mineral deficiencies, etc.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

I'm getting a physical tomorrow and plan to ask my PCP to add the Vit. D level to the usual bloodwork. Last June my gynecologist discovered that I was deficient(I think it was 20) and I have been taking a supplement daily. I'm curious to see if my serum level has improved. I am just back from 3 weeks in FL where I got sun daily most days so I hope I am in the normal levels. If I am not, I plan to ask her if she can prescribe some super duper vitamin concoction if such is available as opposed to the 2000 OTC units I am currently ingesting.

 

[samclem]

I'm getting a physical tomorrow and plan to ask my PCP to add the Vit. D level to the usual bloodwork. . . I am just back from 3 weeks in FL where I got sun daily most days so I hope I am in the normal levels.

From my limited reading, it seems Vit D hangs around in the blood for a few weeks, so the readings you get tomorrow will probably not represent your typical levels. If you really want to know if the vitamin pills you are taking are the right dose, it might be better to wait a few more weeks for the test.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

From my limited reading, it seems Vit D hangs around in the blood for a few weeks, so the readings you get tomorrow will probably not represent your typical levels. If you really want to know if the vitamin pills you are taking are the right dose, it might be better to wait a few more weeks for the test.

Good point. I will hang on to the script she gives me for blood work for a couple of weeks. I hope to bring my readings up to 35 at least.

 

[samclem]

Good point. I will hang on to the script she gives me for blood work for a couple of weeks. I hope to bring my readings up to 35 at least.

If you are interested, go to about minute 35 in the video at Buckeye's link in Post 53 and you can see the slow decrease in the Vit D3 level. That graph represents a single oral dose and the time it took to peak in the blood (about 15 days) and was still well above baseline 28 days later. Vit D3 is the kind made by your skin when you were in FL. Anyway--as you can see, it may take quite a while for your levels to get back to baseline.

 

[mark500]

Calcium and Vitamin C can cause prostate and GI cancers, respectively, which is one of the reasons they probably have not done well in some of the studies

You must back up those assertions with data.
Please post the peer reviewed studies that show causation between calcium and Vit C with prostate and GI cancers.

 

[Kroeran]

I always a request a copy of any test results. My reason for that is I like to look over them myself. I have found that some labs use suggested ranges that are out of date - ie. Thyroid testing. I also find that Drs let some test results slide because they fall within normal range. For example, last time I had my iron levels tested I think the bottom of the suggested range was 33 and I was 34. Now to me that means I should be aware and keep watch on my iron levels. To the Dr it was simply you are within range.

yes, I too make sure I get a printout of all tests and look closely at anything that is not close to middle of range, and then research diet or supplement approaches to adjusting levels

 

[DeborahB]

My doctor told me not to worry about overdose - I am getting vit. D in my calcium supplements and also in Fosamax. I'm not sure how much (I'm at work, it's at home) but he seemed unconcerned. Something like it is a huge amount before it's an overdose.

 

[JacqJolie]

It seems that going for 100,000 IU once a month or so might be a better option just judging from the chart Dr. Heaney provided around the 28th minute into the video?
I take my D3 in liquid form and it's 1000 IU per drop (.03 ml) and the bottle contains enough for 400,000 IU - absolutely no taste, and you can put it on your food or in a drink. It cuts down on the number of pills you'd have to take and I would imagine would be broken down better in your system than a pill. The brand name is Ddrops.

 

[harley]

I've been taking 2000 IU/day for the last few months, but I'm also 2 weeks into a miserable chest cold. Nothing worked, vitamin D, garlic, oranges (Vitimin C), zinc, bourbon, nothing.

The bourbon gave the best results, though.

 

[Meadbh]

It seems that going for 100,000 IU once a month or so might be a better option just judging from the chart Dr. Heaney provided around the 28th minute into the video?
I take my D3 in liquid form and it's 1000 IU per drop (.03 ml) and the bottle contains enough for 400,000 IU - absolutely no taste, and you can put it on your food or in a drink. It cuts down on the number of pills you'd have to take and I would imagine would be broken down better in your system than a pill. The brand name is Ddrops.

Babies agree!
Enfamil - Enfamil D-Vi-Sol

 

[DangerMouse]

I went to a new Dr last week and she reviewed my Vitamin D results from last October. Based on her experience she has prescribed the following, taking into account my level was 28 and the expected range is 32 to 100. She said she aims to get patients to about 50.

For the next 12 weeks I take 50,000 units once a week. I also take 2,000 units a day.
After the 12 weeks I will switch to 50,000 units every second week, and keep taking the 2,000 units a day. That regime will continue until I hit 50.

I did have a blood draw done last week, so it will be interesting to see how much taking the 50,000 units per month for the past 4 months has shifted my levels.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

I plan to re-visit my Vit. D levels with my gynecologist when I see him later this year(he discovered my low levels last year when doing blood work to check thyroid, hormones, etc.). I will ask him to re-order the test to see if my levels have improved taking 2000 units a day. If I need to take more units I might consider the liquid supplement version mentioned in a previous post. This is what I get for avoiding the sun all these years

 

[Texas Proud]

OK... decided to start doing this... and see some stories that make me say 'WHAT'... but then I think... well, my boss is taking 10,000 per day...


SOOO, what is the difference between D and D3 or is there any...

 

[Buckeye]

baseline

Got our test results. The format of the results (PDF attachment) is different for me and DH so I'm not sure if they did the same test on both of us but our results were very close. Our levels don't look too bad.

Summary:
Me 45 ng/mL
DH 44 ng/ml

We have been taking a dropper of liquid Vitamin D each day for about 6 weeks and we were taking a spray dose for about 3 weeks prior to that. We moved to FL 5 months ago. Wish we had done a baseline study before we left OH and before we started supplementing.

We have an appointment with the doc next week to go over the results. We also had a CBC, CMP, and fasting insulin done. I had my first high sensitivity CRP. It was a bit of a battle with the gatekeepers at the doc's office to obtain our test results prior to our follow-up visit next week.

I called about 2 weeks ago and requested a copy. The gal who answered the phone asked if the doc had reviewed them with us. I told her he had not and the point was to review them prior to our visit to be prepared with questions. She said couldn't legally release them prior to the doctor reviewing them (is that true?) so she would ask him if it was okay when he got back to the office. Her tone was very snotty. I paid for the tests and they were about my body, for goodness sakes! I knew he would approve the release but of course no one called me back.

I went to the doc's office on Monday and made my request in person. Same questions, same "what possible value could the test results have for a a mere human like you" attitude. Doc approved and I got our results.

 

[DangerMouse]

Ok got my bloodwork back today. Taking 50,000 units once a month for a period of 4 months moved my reading from 28 to 36, so that shows how much you have to take to actually move your levels.

 

[JacqJolie]

OK... decided to start doing this... and see some stories that make me say 'WHAT'... but then I think... well, my boss is taking 10,000 per day...


SOOO, what is the difference between D and D3 or is there any...

Here's a description I found of the difference:

There is a cheap, plant-sourced, alternative to vitamin D3, called vitamin D2, or ergocalciferol. D2 has far less effect in the body. Taking D2 or ergocalciferol orally is an extremely inefficient way to get D. Unfortunately, it's the form often used in milk and many supplements, even the prescription form of D. About half the multivitamins and calcium supplements I've looked at contain ergocalciferol rather than cholecalciferol.

Taking vitamin D2 yields very little conversion to the effective D3. This particular issue is maddening, as the USDA requires dairy farmers to add 100 units of vitamin D to milk, and D2 is often used. In other words, the D in many dairy products barely works at all. There are many children who rely on D from dairy products who are at risk for rickets and are not getting the D they need from dairy products because of this cost-saving switch. Do not rely on milk for vitamin D for your children.