Vitamin D Story

FASTWALKER

Padawan Learner
I wanted to share this for what it's worth.
I take supplements and good ones too. I recently had a blood test and the doctor wanted to do a vitamin D test. I mentioned to her that I did not think that was necessary as I take 5000 IU of vitamin D a day and usually drop down to 2000 IU during the summer months. I would have bet money that I was well within range which is between 35-100 ng/mg. The doctors office called and said I was low at 25.3 ng/mg, and prescribed me with 50,000 IU pills taken twice a week for 6 months. Apparently it takes a while to get you levels up. Ideal levels should be between 50-80 ng/ml.
My only symptoms were some depression and restless sleep. Although low D can cause many other problems. I said to the pharmacists I cound not believe that my levels were so low, She replied with a look and said you would not believe the amount of people taking this vitamin D prescribed supplement. Now how many people don't take any D supplements? I am fair skinned and live in a southern state also. The darker the skin the more D you require. So, the next time you get blood work done request a vitamin D test...
See link below for more information.
http://www.drfranklipman.com/symptoms-diseases-associated-with-vitamin-d-deficiency/
 
Thanks for sharing Fastwalker, it is interesting, I've never done a blood test to check levels of vitamin D, I suspect it may be low, by the way here's another thread with this topic.


Vitamin D (25 hydroxyl) testing

https://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,14559.msg118414.html#msg118414
 
Wow! I wonder how many people's depression is due to vitamin D deficiency? I know a couple people in this house have been tested and show up low, but had no idea how prevalent it was. Think I'll increase my own dose now and again.
 
Just a note, that before taking large doses of vit D, don't forget to take a look at this thread, since other issues like having l-bacteria should be considered too. Also, consider the following:

Primal Body said:
For instance, if you take large amounts of vitamin D without vitamin A, you are potentially more likely to develop symptoms of vitamin A deficiency and experience an actual immunosuppressive effect.
 
Laura,
I got unusually depressed a number of months ago that I was having difficulty overcoming along with restless sleeping patterns. Awakening every couple of hours for no apparent reason... feelings of dread. I was trying to figure this out to no avail. Since I started the 50,000 IU prescription dose I have started sleeping a solid 5 hours plus at a stretch and the depression is no longer an issue.

Nice article on Vitamin D and Depression-
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/reading-between-the-headlines/201307/vitamin-d-deficiency-and-depression
 
I started taking Vitamin D about two years ago after tests showed my levels were really low. It took 18 months to build my levels up to normal! My doctor recommended I continue to take anyway - it must deplete really easily .... ?
 
I was going to add cod liver oil with my omega 3's for Vitamins A & D. Is this a good idea? I'll do a search.
 
Doses of 10'000 units per day are safe - I was on that dose for 18 months and didn't even get into the higher range. I'll need to get on it again too, as I am now likely to be quite low.

Dr. Mercola advises against the use of cod liver oil, as compared to vitamin D the amount of vitamin A is too high (see here). You can take cod liver oil as a vitamin A source, but need to be careful as to the amounts.

However, Sally Fallon disagrees with the above (as published by Chris Kresser here).

I am not sure which side to give more weight, but maybe it's safer to limit the amount of cod liver oil and to supplement it with straight vitamin D.
 
Thanks nicklebleu, I just got back from the store and held off on the cod liver oil, thinking I should research more. So I appreciate finding this here. My info was based on Primal Body, Primal Mind.
 
I started taking 10,000 IU of D3 twice a day as part of a vitamin regimen for my psoriasis starting a week ago. And I definitely noticed a significant improvement in mood all week. Who knew?
 
I've been slacking where vit D is concerned in relation to vit K2, so I've just ordered some more D-3 5000.
 
I think cod liver is safe just as long as you take enough vitamin D3 in addition to the vitamin A in the cod liver oil.

If someone can't check their D3 levels for whatever reason, no more than 10000 UI for more than 3 months should be taken in case of toxicity. The Vitamin D council has home kits you can get to get your tests done, plus some advice on the doses:

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/about-vitamin-d/am-i-getting-too-much-vitamin-d/#

I think vitamin D3 is safe on a temporary basis, but on the long term basis who knows. There is research to suggest that it might not be longevity friendly:

http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,30764.msg407449.html#msg407449

I haven't followed up that research since 2013 though. It seems to be very beneficial at least on a temporary basis.
 
Just a note that several things need to be considered when it comes to vit D

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/12/08/magnesium-health-benefits.aspx
Anytime you're taking any of the following: magnesium, calcium, vitamin D3, or vitamin K2, you need to take all the others into consideration as well, as these nutrients work synergistically with one another

I can say from experience that I've had problems with magnesium supplements/oil without taking enough D3, and taking D3 without adequate magnesium/K2 caused problems.
Calcium should not be a problem if you are having regular bone broth.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15504575
Up-regulatory impact of boron on vitamin D function -- does it reflect inhibition of 24-hydroxylase?
Miljkovic D1, Miljkovic N, McCarty MF.
Author information
Abstract
Nutritional intakes of boron have been shown to lessen the adverse consequences of vitamin D deficiency in rodents. Pilot clinical studies suggest that this effect may be mediated, in whole or in part, by an increase in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D. We propose that, in concentrations achievable with good diets, boron suppresses the activity of the microsomal enzyme 24-hydroxylase, chiefly responsible for catabolism of this steroid. This inhibition may reflect a direct interaction with the enzyme, or perhaps boron's ability to form a covalent complex with the product of its activity, 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. An up-regulatory impact of boron on 25-hydroxyvitamin D is potentially beneficial in light of the fact that the vitamin D status of many individuals is poor during winter months, and traditional supplemental doses of this vitamin are often too low to correct this problem. There is growing evidence that good vitamin D status -- as reflected by 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels -- may reduce risk for a host of prominent disorders; thus, boron may have the ability to potentiate this protection. Clinical studies also suggest that nutritional boron can up-regulate 17beta-estradiol levels in women, including postmenopausal women receiving hormone replacement therapy. The catabolism of this hormone is achieved by microsomal enzymes catalyzing vicinal hydroxylations -- a description that also applies to 24-hydroxylase. This suggests the more general hypothesis that nutritional boron can inhibit a range of microsomal enzymes which insert hydroxyl groups vicinal to existing hydroxyls in steroids -- including the enzymes which catabolize estradiol and 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

So boron slows the breakdown of vitamin D. It's also needed along side magnesium for proper calcium metabolism.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=2222801&dopt=Citation
Because boron and/or magnesium deprivation causes changes similar to those seen in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis, these elements are apparently needed for optimal calcium metabolism and are thus needed to prevent the excessive bone loss which often occurs in postmenopausal women and older men.

As all of these things help to build bones, the following may also be worth considering http://www.betterbones.com/bonenutrition/20keybonenutrients.pdf

And http://www.livestrong.com/article/509742-what-mineral-does-the-body-store-in-its-bones/
Your bones also function as a mineral storage depot, releasing dissolved calcium, phosphorus and magnesium into your bloodstream if needed. A persistently low blood calcium level, for example, leads to breakdown of mineral crystals in your bones to correct the deficiency. Although this mechanism avoids potential muscle, heart and nerve malfunctions due to insufficient dissolved calcium, your bone health suffers if you do not consume enough calcium to support both your bones and other body tissues.

fwiw
 
Fastwalker said:
I would have bet money that I was well within range which is between 35-100 ng/mg

I find it interesting to compare what doctors give for how much of what we should have. I, too, was found to be low in Vitamin D. But my doctor said that the normal range to be in was between 30 - 50 ng/mg. I was at 29 so she said not to worry too much about it and that doctors disagree on what is considered optimum. Some said 30ng some said 32ng. I think both are too low, but I don't really know that much about it.

I have started taking 10,000 IU along with 5mg Vitamin K2. I'll be interested to see what happens.
 
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