Vitamin D3 Supplementation: Useless or even Harmful? page 4

[emmie]

Two experiences, admittedly anecdotal, but convincing to me.

My endo checked my D3 level a couple of years ago, and I was in range but very low. I began supplementing with Carlson's softgel D3 (which I still use), and when I got my level to the high end of the range, I felt so much more energized and generally 'healthy.' I would not have believed it had I not experienced it. That is, I thought I felt fine when it was low, but I felt 70% better once I raised it.

I recommended it to my sister who has a demanding job and is often stressed. She asked her internist to check her levels first; she was low, and he recommended she supplement. My sister had developed psoriasis several years ago, and it was all over her body, impossible to control. She had seen 4 different derms and had tried every remedy available without any success. One of the therapies is a 'lightbox' which is supposed to replicate natural sunshine. Everything had failed, and she was resigned to having to live with this disfiguring skin disease. She ended all treatments and meds.

After a couple of months of supplementing with D3, her psoriasis vanished--completely except for a couple of minor spots. She made no other changes. I would never deny the efficacy of D3 produced by Big Pharma after this.

[BlissfulWriter]

The best way to get D3 is from sun exposure (without getting burn). Next is to get them from foods (sardines and organ meats). However, even then we still may not get enough. Hence supplementation of D3 may be necessary. Keep in mind that the D3 pills is not identical to the D3 produced by your body from sun.

[DavidBrennan]

After a couple of months of supplementing with D3, her psoriasis vanished--completely except for a couple of minor spots. She made no other changes. I would never deny the efficacy of D3 produced by Big Pharma after this.

As discussed already, Vitamin D3 has been synthesized for a long, long time and it's not patented. So it's an open process and therefore not produced by Big Pharma but instead by countless brands, like Carlson's. (Although if it continues to grow in sales, I'm sure that Big Pharma will undoubtedly find some way to stick their claws in it and jack up the price.)

[quelsen]

The best way to get D3 is from sun exposure (without getting burn). Next is to get them from foods (sardines and organ meats). However, even then we still may not get enough. Hence supplementation of D3 may be necessary. Keep in mind that the D3 pills is not identical to the D3 produced by your body from sun.

this is just wrong. This is not an attack on the author it is a public service announcement.

if you live in america you do not get enough sun exposure to create vitamin D.

JUST THINK FOR A SECOND....

your grandparents or great grandparents pretty much lived outside. we live in offices. we do not get hours upon hours of sunlight on our skins and most of use actually use sun block for fear of cancer......

and once you fall below minumum levels that pathway shuts down

period

end of conversation

we were not designed to spend all day in a dark room.. we just weren't.

[quelsen]

I remember when Vitamin E was all the rage. The miracle pill that cured everything, until they found out quite the opposite.

We all look for the magic bullet, but there isn't one. I am certain over the next 10-15 years, there will be enough data to show that megadoses of Vitamin D are not beneficial, and probably end up being harmful. Trust me, I hope not, but it seems to be how things go.

I totally agree with you John. Massive doses of any substance is harmful as it alters the biochemistry in some manner...

and... how do you define massive... Mark S will define massive for glucose as over 250g daily. for myself massive for glucose is over 75g daily... that much causes my fasting insulin to rise and I for one wont have it.

too many variables, too many assumptions go into our words when we attempt ( and mostly fail ) to communicate.

97% of humanity have no problem with sodium consumption at any level.... yet "we" have created guidelines to limit sodium consumption to protect the other 3% for whom a high sodium diet is fatal... the problem is 97% of humanity is under consuming sodium causing all manner of health issues.

Humans are inevitably stupid no matter how intelligent they attempt to be, which in my opinion is the motivation for the ancestral health movement, an acknowledgement that "the more we overhaul the plumbing the easier it is to stop up the drain"

[quelsen]

Thanks for all the thoughtful info, Quelsen!

That's an interesting thought that you offered that recommended levels of hormones are lower than the government RDAs because they're referencing sick people as their norms. Talk about a selection bias! If that is indeed true, than that level of stupidity is....well, that can't be done via stupidity, they have to be lowballing the RDAs purposely.

What is the difference between fat- and water-soluble vitamins as it relates to our consuming them? I assume that most of us get our good saturated fats, and I also doubt many of us are dehydrating, so how would you advise us to act on the info that Vitamin D3 is fat-soluble?

Thanks again.

fat soluble vitamins store in the body fat whereas water soluble vitamins come out with the urine. one can build up chronic toxic levels of any fat soluble vitamin.... one can really only suffer acute toxicity with a water soluble vitamin.

getting good fats only means having a good place to store the vitamin.. few vitamins are actually in the fats, they just bind there.

[SMITHR]

if under 70 eat 2 million within a week; take 10K daily for 6 weeks then test again.... gets most of them to 100 every time.

2 million within one week sounds like a lot to me. GNC sells 5,000 IU Vit D. I would have to take about 60 of those per day to get to 2,000,000 within 7 days. (Or am I doing my math wrong?)

[quelsen]

2 million within one week sounds like a lot to me. GNC sells 5,000 IU Vit D. I would have to take about 60 of those per day to get to 2,000,000 within 7 days. (Or am I doing my math wrong?)

no gnc is doing their sales wrong.

[SMITHR]

no gnc is doing their sales wrong.

My point was not to single out GNC. The point is that 5,000 IU per pill is on the high end of what is available for purchase. Taking 60 of these pills per day, or any pill for that matter, seems like a lot.

Are there other ways to get to an optimal level of D? Maybe taking 20,000 IU per day for 6-10 weeks, then backing down to 10,000?

[quelsen]

My point was not to single out GNC. The point is that 5,000 IU per pill is on the high end of what is available for purchase. Taking 60 of these pills per day, or any pill for that matter, seems like a lot.

Are there other ways to get to an optimal level of D? Maybe taking 20,000 IU per day for 6-10 weeks, then backing down to 10,000?

there are other methods. and solgar makes a 10K pill. Pure Bulk sells straight powder