Carlson Vitamin D Drops page

[NoMoreGrains]

I'm looking for the most natural vitamin d supplement, and most pills I've come across are loaded with nasty fillers like soybean and corn oil. I found Carlson Vitamin D Drops:

http://www.vitacost.com/Carlson-Vitamin-D-Drops

So, these look pretty great. The only inactive ingredient is fractionated coconut oil, which I am thrilled about. They come in 2000 IU or 4000 IU, and have 365 drops per bottle. The 4000 IU is a better deal, because the increase in price is worth it. I've never supplemented with vitamin D. This time of the year, I do not get enough sunlight, although I do eat a lot of vitamin D rich fish. Based on this, which dosage should I take? Another concern would be the source of the vitamin d3 (cholecalciferol). This product is sourced from lanolin. Is lanolin a good choice for vitamin d3, or are there better sources? Basically, does it matter where the cholecalciferol comes from, and do our bodies absorb it the same regardless of the source?

[FairyRae]

I don't think it matters as long as its D3. Nature's Answer is another great one, (check Cillakat's docs for more on that)--it is just the D in olive oil. It runs cheaper than the carlsons on iherb, fwiw.

I personally like the 2000 dosage myself. I take 1000 IUs per every 25 lbs body weight (again, check Cillakat's docs for info on dosing--she is the D queen), and it works out better for me to take about 6000 IUs a day.

[Diana Renata]

I use D-drops. I either drip them into my coffee, protein shake or whatever. If I'm in a hurry I just drip it on my hand and lick it- LOL. What I can't figure out is how it tastes like citrus.

[BarbeyGirl]

I use Innate Response Formulas for most of my supps, including D-3. It's less obvious with the D because of the nature of D (vs, say, the B complex which is mostly concentrated spinach), but they're made from whole food.

[cillakat]

The so called "whole foods" are typically synthetic vitamins fed to a single celled organism - a yeast for example, then the whole mess is spray dried and called "food based". In this scenario, "food based"/"whole foods" supplements offer no benefit over 'regular' supplements. Even more commonly, they're just regular synthetic supplements with a sprinkling of dried herbs/superfoods mixed in as nothing more than window dressing.

Carlson Ddrops come in 3 versions:
400 IU D per drop
1000 IU D per drop
2000 IU D per drop

Afaik, there is no 4000 IU per drop option. I do love this supplement but prefer the more cost effective Nature's Answer D3 drops which are just EVOO and D3. It contains 2000 IU per drop - the bottle says 4000 IU per *dose* and the dose they recommend is 2 drops.

The ideal dose is whatever your body needs to maintain 55-65 ng/mL and really we should all be testing and dosing accordingly.

For dosing, it's best to simply let the drop fall directly on the tongue. Mixing with food or beverages opens up the possibility of losing significant amounts of the dose..ie the drop (or significant amounts of the drop) could stick to the cup, plate or bowl.

I prefer iherb.com over vitacost.com Iherb has free shipping at $40. Vitacost charges $4.95 for shipping. Iherb always ships same day if you order by 11 am PST. Vitacost....it varies from 1-3 days. Iherb is very honest about what is in stock and what isn't in stock. I finally quit ordering from vitacost.com when vitacost consistently listed items as 'in stock' then after I placed my order, I'd get an email saying the item was back ordered. Oh, and iherb.com has another 10% off discount right at the end...so even when items are listed at same price, iherb.com will be cheaper in the end.


K

[Alan M]

I love your posts, Cillakat. You'll probably laugh at yourself for pointing this out. But when you write "loosing" you really mean losing. Supposably, I shouldn't point such errors out--glass houses and all.

[cillakat]

I love your posts, Cillakat. You'll probably laugh at yourself for pointing this out. But when you write "loosing" you really mean losing. Supposably, I shouldn't point such errors out--glass houses and all.

Ya know....it drives me nuts when other people do it but I consistently do this. TY for pointing it out...I need to be much more aware.

and lol on supposably.

K

[Katie82]

There are 4,000 IUper drop/365 drops per bottle by carlsons on Amazon.com, but it's still way more cost effective to get the Natures Answer. .03 per serving vs .05

[BarbeyGirl]

Interesting, thanks Cillakat. Do you know of a reliable way to tell what is, or is not, a "real" whole food supplement?

[TigerLily]

Make sure you are taking the co-factors necessary for vitamin D to metabolize (magnesium, zinc, others) and are taking it with fat.