Vitamin D and its benefits
(52 posts) (22 voices)-
maba
MemberI've been following Dr.William Davis' blog and he often emphasizes on the importance of Vitamin D for good health, as has Mark. I have never been tested for Serum Vit D level and other than cod-liver oil capsules that I have started taking only recently, I don't take any Vit D supplements. My question: How many of you have been tested for D levels in your blood and do you take any supplements to maintain the normal level? I would love to learn more. And have my mother, who is on statins, take them too. Thoughts and recommendations will be much appreciated.
Dr.Davis' blog:
http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/search/label/vitamin%20DPosted 7 months ago # -
maba
MemberAgnieszka had posted this link on another thread, but I'm posting it here again as a reference for all Vit D related articles:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-vitamin-d-miracle-is-it-for-real/article672998/
Posted 6 months ago # -
DaveFish
MemberIn the winter months I take cod liver oil (I live in Colorado) and the rest of the year I just take fish oil capsules and get outside for at least 20 minutes a day. With over 300 days of sunshine in Colorado it isn't hard to get Vitamin D. I think my daily multivitamin also has Vitamin D.
I'm going to ask my doctor about the Vitamin D test when I go in for my annual physical exam next week.
Posted 6 months ago # -
OnTheBayou
MemberInteresting that this would come up just about now. Just before flipping back to this forum I was over at WAPF and other sites to see what they had about Vitamin D and sunlight.
Since I am now spending some hours on the beach every week, I wanted to inform myself about V.D., um, Vitamin D and the issues of melanomas, etc.
First, I decided a month ago to go naked. Not genitalia, but sans sunscreen. Besides being expensive and a PITA to keep applied, there is that Grok spirit speaking to me.
Before I tell you of an observation, I want to say that this is a perfect example of why it is SO hard for scientists and nutritionists to isolate specifics. Because of life circumstances, I definitely had a low level depression from ca. 2005-2007. Then when I moved to FL, essentially ripping up my life to place myself in terrible circumstances, the depression went into afterburner mode. It somewhat ameliorated late winter this year.
Since I have been walking the beach frequently, I have done a one eighty. I have energy like I've not for 15 years, OK, losing 40 pounds is certainly a big component of that. But after reading all the stuff out there about Vitamin D, SAD (an ex-gf suffered from that), I can't help but wonder if the natural sunlight and the resulting Vitamin D hasn't been a natural Prozac.
OK, I admit that the many almost naked bodies certainly helps the attitude!
Here is some food for thought: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080107181411.htm
Part of my thinking is that making Vitamin D via the sun obviously has major health benefits. Any downside like melanomas and cancers can be caught and arrested with decent dermatological care. BTW, I was a lifeguard for a few years way back when, so I'm guessing those were the truly damaging years.
And let's not forget to follow the advice, "Follow the money." No one is putting dollars into the political/scientific process on behalf of El Sol.
But seriously.......
Posted 6 months ago # -
kuno1chi
MemberOTB,
When I lived in Seattle, I needed a tanning bed once a week throughout each winter (there's a reason they drink so much coffee there).
Now that I'm in San Francisco, it's not so bad, but when it's foggy, or in the winter, I need to spend more hours outside, or I go into a tailspin.
You are certainly not alone.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Ecala
MemberI've been getting monitored regularly and at my last blood draw for 25(OH)D, my level was 80. I'm taking 6000 IU of capsules and getting probably about 1000 from CLO. I've live in MA and am not getting outside a lot. OH- and when I do go outside, I do NOT wear sunscreen.
Posted 6 months ago # -
OnTheBayou
MemberEcala, that sounds exactly right based on what I've been reading. With the usual plus or minus caveat.
All I can say is that I am hooked. When I start covering up again in the fall, I'll ramp up the supplements.
I wonder if there isn't some other factor about great mental health being out of doors besides the vitamin D. That sunlight goes into our eyes and makes endorphins or THC or heroin, what the hell? I'm making that up, of course, but I will not be surprised that someday something is discovered. (You read it here first!) I mean, look at what we know about nutrition that we didn't thirty years ago, and I'm not even touching on the lipid, aka BS, theory of heart disease.
Also of interest I came across a well written piece about the alleged horrible rise in skin cancers. Well, not only did this rise start way before sunscreen, it tracks it perfectly. So, tongue in cheek, it could be said that sunscreen causes skin cancers!
What this paper pointed out is that over the years in the dermatology business there has been an upgrading (or is it downgrading?) of non-cancerous growth to melanoma. A better safe than sorry approach. This paper and others point out that there are way more dermatologists now than years ago, that there are way more skin screenings, that the customer base has shifted to young females because of cosmetic dermatology, and that the cancer rate for those girls has actually gone down!
One thing that caught my eye is that the dread melanomas usually appear in areas that sunlight does see a lot of. IIRC, white men on their back, white women, inside thights (???), and get this, blacks on the soles of their feet! Surely not too much sunlight there!
There is also the question of prior exposure leading to burning that triggers nasty things many years later. And growing up when the only reason to avoid burn was the pain, I had as much as any white boy.
Even though I am w/o health insurance, I want to have my skin checked. Years getting burned, years living and often working out of doors at high altitude could be a recipe for concern. My folk's dermatologist is great, but when indirectly I asked for a cost break because I have no insurance, it was no go. Also, maybe a "free" clinic, which I would be happy to donate considerably to instead of the doctor. We'll see.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Ecala
MemberSo, tongue in cheek, it could be said that sunscreen causes skin cancers!
It most certainly does! That and the consumption of PUFAs. The PUFA in our skin becomes rancid from the heat of the sun (creates free radicals), combine that with the chemicals in the sunscreen-- makes a nasty cancer cocktail.
Posted 6 months ago # -
maba
MemberI just signed up for the Daction project:
http://www.grassrootshealth.net/The Vit D test kit costs $40, I hope that that's cheaper than what it costs to get it done in a lab.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Ecala
MemberWow, that's great Primalmom-- that you're only taking 1000 IU and your level is 51. You could stand to go up a bit if you wanted to - aim for between 60-80. You must be outside a lot?
Anyway, if I were you, I'd add another 1000-2000 IU.
Here's a good article by the Vitamin D council:
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/health/deficiency/am-i-vitamin-d-deficient.shtml
What We Recommend
If you use suntan parlors once a week or if you live in Florida and sunbathe once a week, year-round, do nothing. However, if you have little UVB exposure, my advice is as follows: healthy children under the age of 2 years should take 1,000 IU per day—over the age of 2, 2,000 IU per day. Well adults and adolescents should take 5,000 IU per day. Two months later have a 25-hydroxy-vitamin D blood test, either through ZRT or your doctor.
Start supplementing with the vitamin D before you have the blood test. Then adjust your dose so your 25(OH)D level is between 50–80 ng/ml, summer and winter. But remember, these are conservative dosage recommendations. Most people who avoid the sun—and virtually all dark-skinned people—will have to increase their dose once they find their blood level is still low, even after two months of the above dosage, especially in the winter. Some people may feel more comfortable ordering the blood test before they start adequate doses of vitamin D. We understand. Test as often as you feel the need to, just remember, no one can get toxic on the doses recommended above and some people will need even more.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Get Primal
MemberPrimalmom,
I've heard multiple sources claim that ideal levels are 60-80. I got tested through Grassroots as well and was at 35. I live in the Upper Midwest so not the sunshine capital of the world, but I'm outside a lot with exposed skin as a runner. Expected to be quite a bit higher.I've been supplementing with 4000 units/day of D3 and am due to be tested again in about a month.
http://www.uvadvantage.org/portals/0/pres/
A great link if you have time to listen.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Primalmom,
I have one friend & several people I know of (from the local Weston A. Price Foundation chapter)that take Greener Pastures cod liver oil religiously - twice a day, 1 tsp each dose. All of them tested extremely low for vitamin D and now take supplements on top of the cod liver oil. I find this really curious. All that D must not be getting absorbed...I'm outside a lot & mostly at midday so I was assuming I get enough, but now I'm thinking I should get it checked. I'm certainlhy in the camp that it does help with depression, even in the winter in MA.
Posted 6 months ago # -
OnTheBayou
MemberNorway, has 25% of the population using CLO. They also have the highest rates of bone fracture. Why? Vitamin D will pull calcium from bones to keep blood calcium correct if it isn't available in the food.
I think that was on WAPF, but I wouldn't swear to it.
Just take straight V.D. capsules.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Jeffrey K
MemberI take Dr. Ron's Calcium/Magnesium supplement. It's kind of primal - from cow bones. Of course if milk isn't primal, can the cow be? Hmm.
http://www.drrons.com/bone-calcium-from-grassfed-New-Zealand-cattle.htm
I was always measuring low on magnesium and calcium according to fitday, so this fits the bill pretty well. I start out with 2 capsules in the morning, and by dinner I know if I need any more, depending on what I ate that day. I take cod liver oil as well, and that seems like a good combo.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Tarlach
MemberJust get out into the sun sometimes. It's not so hard.
Here's how much you need:
http://blog.nutritiondata.com/ndblog/2009/08/how-much-sunshine-does-it-take-to-make-enough-vitamin-d.htmlTaking extra Calcium does nothing for bone strength.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Get Primal
MemberAccording to Paleo Diet by Cordain, a paleo diet rich in vegetables requires far less calcium because the body is not releasing as much as with a highly inflammatory diet. I forget all the science, but a primal diet would certainly qualify if you're eating a lot of vegetables. Maybe somebody with more specific knowledge could follow up.
Posted 6 months ago # -
maba
MemberAnother reason to avoid CAFO meat:
http://drcate.com/who-should-get-vitamin-d-testing/#more-638
their diets are probably lacking in natural vitamin D since only animals that have the opportunity to spend most of their life in the sun eating their natural forage accumulate appreciable amounts in their tissues. For instance, while vitamin D is abundant in the ocean ecosystem, it is not present in the pelleted diets fed to farmed fish and shellfish, so these animals contain as little as ten percent of the D in their wild-caught cousins.
The same applies to industrially produced chickens, pigs, turkeys, cows, etc., as well as to eggs and dairy.
Posted 6 months ago # -
OnTheBayou
MemberTarlach, the calcium isn't for bone strength, it's for the Vitamin D to use directly instead of pulling from the bones. This mechanism doesn't seem to be very controversial, and it's the big reason you don't want to OD on D.
maba, I'm a heretic here, you know that. I buy calciumm-magnesium-zinc tablets at K-Mart.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Jeffrey K
Member"..only animals that have the opportunity to spend most of their life in the sun eating their natural forage accumulate appreciable amounts in their tissues."
Well that puts me in the same category as the CAFO animals. I work in a bunker from 8-5 - not even a window in the building. I get out at lunch, but it's overcast today, so no UVB to be found. I also had a nice big chunk of flesh carved from my arm a few years ago by my friendly local dermatologist (said flesh was cancerous), so my northern european heritage bit me. Makes me not much of a sun worshiper.
I also read on one of those vitamin D web sites that the ability to convert cholesterol, etc to D via Old Sol is greatly diminished in those over 40. I'm 47.
One of these days I'll spring for one of those 25(OH)D tests, just out of curiosity. Still I'm a bit wary of this 60-80 range - what is that based on, a typical CW feeder? Is it different for us primal folks? Everything else seems to be.Posted 6 months ago # -
Not had blood tests but here's a very unscientific study of one....
I'm naturally fair, living in northern UK - sunshine is an occasional visitor!
I have worked in a place where in winter I'd never see sun - it would be dark when I went in, and when I went home. During this time I had bouts of depression, gained weight, had skin that was oily, dry, AND oversensitive.
Confounding factors include a carb-rich diet and finally a diagnosis of PCOS.This year I began supplementing with 5000IU vit D a day, after reading articles and being convinced by the logic. Things I've noticed:
-better skin condition, albeit still suffering with acne
-less sensitive skin
-actually tanning instead of burning
-feeling better in myself
Confounding factors - obviously the longer days of spring and summer, it will be interesting to see how I feel this winter. Also overhauled diet to mainly primal with a few falls "off the wagon". Additional omega 3 supplements. I work a lot outdoors now too. Stopped taking drug treatments for PCOS (various combnations of oral contraceptive and metformin).My thoughts are that the vit D is skin protective (I did see that in one of the articles I read, it is almost a chicken/egg situation in that you need a certain amount in your skin cells to safely produce vit D from the sun. I believe this is why I am tanning not burning now), and this winter I will find out if it (or my lifestyle in general) will work against the winter blues.
Not using sunscreen was scary to start with but I beleieve my skin will benefit from *not* being smothered in allergenic chemicals.Also the RDA is the minimum level needed to prevent rickets; not the level for optimum health. Just to counter the CW that a few minutes a day is enough.
I didn't know about the calcium thing though so should probably check my general diet rather than pretending that I take multivitamins (I usually forget!)
Oh also in one of the things I read, the generally accepted toxicity level was 10'000 IU a day but spending all day in the sun could produce 20 or 30'000. The point being that the body could switch off production / that it wasn't *necessarily* toxic. I'm a lot more unsure of that though.
Posted 6 months ago # -
Jeffrey K
MemberThis is a fascinating article on Vitamin D, which is really a hormone, not a vitamin. Read especially the updates at the bottom of the article. The author stresses that you must have 25(OH)D tests if you are supplementing vitamin D, and/or if you are light skinned and visiting/living in a tropical or subtropical area.
The Miracle of Vitamin D
By Krispin Sullivan, CN
http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/vitamindmiracle.htmlPosted 6 months ago # -
Maba,
My pals were on Green Pastures high quality/high vitamin cod liver oil at 1000 IU's a day for Vitamin D ( and 10,000 vitamin A) per teaspoon. It's supposed to have the actual vitamins from the cod liver, not synthetic ones. I know all of them switched to fermented cod liver oil, which is supposed to be even more potent at 600 IU's per quarter tsp. I'm quite curious to know how they fare. I'm all into emperical evidence so if they're D levels aren't up then I'll be pretty sure this vitamin isn't getting absorbed for some reason. If I hear from any of them about it I'll post it here.Also, the more I study about vitamin D, the more I find scientists saying that it acts less like a vitamin and more like a hormone. If it is more like a hormone then it may be that supplementation levels would have to be more on a pharmaceutical level (like a birth control pill) for the body to absorb enough to make a difference.
Also, like many other posters, the more I'm outside, the less likely I'm to be depressed over the course of the year. However, I don't know if that's from the vitamin D or from just being outside and not cooped-up inside all the time.
Posted 6 months ago # -
maba
MemberDebFM, you're right. Vitamin D is more of a hormone than a Vitamin. So the levels have to be right for the body. Which is why they have you test your levels every 6 months. I believe once the optimum level of Vitamin D is reached, you can go off the supplements or take a maintenance dosage. I've signed up for the grassroots kit, I'm curious to know what my Vit D levels are.
JeffreyK, the levels mentioned in the WAPF article seem to be much lower than what the Vitamin D Council recommends. I highly respect WAPF, but I'm confused.
NorthernMonkey, it would be great to hear more about your Vit D therapy. And how it works against the winter blues. I usually have the winter blues too.
OTB, do you take the Ca-Mn-Zn tablets in addition to Vit D. Did you start taking them after getting your mineral levels tested?
Posted 6 months ago #
Reply »
You must log in to post.