My doctor measured my vitamin D levels and found out they were quite low (in the teens). She prescribed a high dose of D2 to be taken weekly. The first time I took it, my eyes began to itch like crazy an hour after eating. I think it was the vitamin D because a few days later, as the itch began to subside, I tried a low dose (400 units) of vitamin D to see if the itching would come back - and it sure did. Strongly.
I am wondering if anyone else has had a similar reaction to vitamin D, and also whether it is true (as I have read) that eating Magnesium will block itchiness from vitamin D.
For now, I"m staying away from my prescription, but I would like to get my D up higher.
4
Use D3- it's more effective , has fewer side effects, and is cheap and available OTC
https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/meta-analysis-looks-at-efficacy-of-d2-vs...
36
Great discussion. I try to park somewhere I can get a few minutes of direst sun on my face and neck in winter. Feels like it helps.
It’s complicity in fat regulation sounds interesting. If true, then taking a nice dose will keep you leaner in winter. I take 1-3 drops of 4,000 units per drop in the morning while coffee drips. Just drip a drop on your knuckle and lick. Tastes like milk, kind of, to me.
3
Around the time I turned 60 my doctor surprised me with including a Vitamin D test along with the other routine blood tests-- determined my D was low(I was getting a good bit of sun exposure during the summers)-- and put me on 1000 units of D3 daily ever since-- while continuing to add the D blood test annually which now shows healthy levels-- the only rub is my health insurance will not pay for the test and I have to pay for it out of pocket. One would hope that such an "essential" element of our health would be recognized along with testing of cholesterol or diabetes which are covered.
51
Since all science is incomplete it just flat out wrong, I choose to ignore bullying about sunscreen, flu shots, low fat diets, colonoscopies and other such hogwash.
Grandma knew how to live a healthy life. “Eat your vegetables.” “Go outside and play.” “Get plenty of rest.”
12
Colonoscopies are not hogwash. They save lives.
Colorectal Cancer Screening: Recommendations for Physicians and Patients from the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer
https://gi.org/guideline/colorectal-cancer-screening-recommendations-for...
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Tell that to the widow of my former boss, who died of melanoma that could have been treated and removed if he had had annual "hogwash" skin checks.
Tell that to 5 of my friends, each of whom found out they had cancer during a "hogwash" mammography, and who all lived to tell the tale.
Tell that to the mom in Lexington MA whose 19 year old daughter died of the "hogwash" flu a few years back.
107
It's a non-issue here!
7
I've been taking 2000 IU/Day of D3 for years, but just recently had my blood tested since I had a bone scan that showed boarderline Osteoporosis in my spine. The test showed my D level was 30 ng/ml, which is on the low side. So my doctor suggested I raise my supplement level to 4000 IU/Day. We shall see...
17
I'm at 5000 in the winter and feel great!
10
We need to also consider why animals have evolved to use vitamin D in the first place. Vitamin D is converted to calcidiol in the liver, this compound ends up everywhere in the body. When needed a cell can convert calcidiol to calcitriol which is then used to turn on or turn off certain genes.
The question is then why a compound for gene regulation that is ultimately derived from exposure to UV light from the Sun? It's not necessary to do so, many genes are regulated by other compounds that can be synthesized without irradiation by UV light. One may suspect that the whole point of the gene regulation by calcitriol is deliberately linked to exposure to the Sun.
It makes sense to assume that evolution has led to vitamin D being involved in gene regulation to configure the body differently, e.g. in fall with falling vitamin D levels you want to configure the body differently to deal with the coming harsh winter than in Summer. Lower vitamin D levels will then lead to more of the energy from foods being diverted to storage in fat reserves. That the fat soluble compound vitamin D is used also makes sense, because the fatter an animal is, the less adaptation of its metabolism is needed to make it through winter.
Since we don't depend on the seasons anymore, the supermarkets are as full in winter as they are in summer, we're going to suffer from adapting optimally to a harsh winter. That's why I take 8,000 IU/day, run an hour a day and eat as much healthy foods as I can.
19
Nothing is mentioned about the half life of Vitamin D (how long it stays in your body), but it is stated that "some" Vitamin D could be drawn from liver and fat tissues, although that is only theoretical. At age 72, I will continue my 2000 iu daily dose and recommend readers do online research about those scientists who advocate higher doses.
15
I think we all already knew we weren't getting much sun at this time of year. What I was looking for were some ideas to fix that short of the obvious step of taking vitamins or vitamin-infused foods.
Does it make sense to stand in front of a window that's getting a lot of sunlight? How about going to a tanning salon once a week? There's always the idea of taking a week's vacation down south. Then, too, they're been a few decent sunny days this winter where I did go out with shorts on. Any other ideas?
I must be doing something right because the last time I had my vit D checked on a blood test in March of 2013 it was within range. And, I don't take supplements.
4
Suntanning is a horrible suggestion!
21
I can qualify that.
According to a paper by Harvard Health (https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/time-for-more-vitamin-d) Except during the summer months, the skin makes little if any vitamin D from the sun at latitudes above 37 degrees north (or 37 degrees south). That is just below Richmond, Virginia, and San Francisco. In Australia, Melbourne is just a half degree below 37 south. All of Tasmania is below 37S..
There's several other variables, including altitude and pollution. Anyone who has walked or camped, or just lived, above 1500 metres or 5000 odd feet, will know how easier it is to get sunburnt at that altitude. So less atmosphere to absorb the sun's rays. Sulphur Dioxide in the atmosphere from vehicle exhausts can reduce sunlight penetration.
10
@Blue Jay
Suntanning and horrible do not compute for this sun worshiper. I've just spent about 90 days in it and love it! You have my sympathies.
1
YES YOU NEED TO SUPPLEMENT VITAMIN D DURING THE WINTER
The atmosphere filters out the wavelengths of light that cause your skin to make vitamin D. The lower the sun on the horizon, the more filtering. Since the sun tends to be lower in the winter you cannot produce vitamin D.
A rule of thumb is that the sun has to be above 45 degrees above the horizon to make vitamin D. In other words, your shadow should be shorter than your height.
You probably need at least 2,000 IU per day to maintain your vitamin D levels and many people safely take 5,000 IU/day.
I learned all of this and much more by the non-profit Vitamin D Council, https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/
39
a vit D researcher from St Paul ME mentioned the concept of higher rate cancer of prostate and breast in northern states to low vit D levels(heard it in a grand round speech,can not remember name of lecturer).
5
Vitamin D is needed for more than just bones. If I don't take a supplement daily my small joints ache. I discovered this fortuitously when I started to take it for thinning hair. It didn't do anything for the hair, but my fingers, wrists, and ankles felt so much better. If I forget or get complacent and stop taking it the joint pains come back, and go away when I start again. Since I wasn't expecting it to help with joint pain when I tried it, I don't think it's a placebo effect and since it's replicable for me, I don't think it's a coincidence.
59
I bought a lot of D3 supplements when they were being highly recommended, and after a blood test showed a low serum level, and still have a supply, so I keep on taking them through the ups and downs of "popularity." But I really try to cover up in sunny times, and am older, and use sunscreen daily - - so it is highly unlikely that I am getting much through direct sunlight. It seems to be one of the few helpful proactive things you can do to preserve bones. As far as we know . . .
12
Weight bearing exercise also helps bones. :)
14
There was a NYT article a few months ago that disputed this.
So it is recommended that every single one of us north of Tennessee visits his doctor for a discussion of whether or not he needs a vitamin D supplement. Is this article sponsored by the vitamin industry? This article doesn't even explain why we need vitamin in the first place. But, gotta go make that doctor's appt!!
16
Yes, the article does explain why we need the vitamin. Right in the second paragraph, it says that D is critical for bone health.
44
Vitamin D is critical for the immune system, fetal development, heart health, muscle strength, etc.
Although folks love to focus on one thing, the reality is that "health" is multi-variable complex equation.
So, as NASA demonstrated, bones need 20+ nutrients AND weight bearing-impact exercise to be big and strong. Keeping in mind bones are living tissue that make a variety of products (Red Blood Cells, for example).
28
You don’t need to make a special vitamin D discussion appointment. My doctor brings it up durin gcheck ups.
10
"Subject to debate" appears as a link that is not working. Please fix it.
Is there really a debate? Or is it politics interfering with medicine?
6
Vitamin D stored in the skin is less bio-available for obese people, and it's more common for them to have lower serum levels of the vitamin, so supplements may be more indicated for them.
17
Dr Holick, MD, put his graduate students on the roof of his building in Boston in the winter. Zero UVB. Which ignores the discomfort of being outside in shorts.
The Army's USARIEM lab tested recruits D levels pre-post in South Carolina in the summer. Their D levels went down due to wearing uniforms (although faces & arms were exposed).
The reality is you need to expose 40% of your skin at solar noon at a UVB sufficient latitude and season. Or take supplements.
Recommending a set dose for all people regardless of size or skin color or occupation/lifestyle without testing is inept/incompetant at best. I'd love to see any scientific research that proves that 800 IU/day will raise adult serum levels to 40-60 ng/ml.
Since the body consumes D daily, it needs D daily. Dr. Heaney, MD, a D researcher, recommended taking 35IU/pound/day as a maintenance dose. Folks with low D levels might need temporary high doses to bring their D levels up (See Holick re 'fill the tank').
The model should be dose-measure-adjust until you achieve optimum levels of 40-60 ng/ml.
31
I avoid direct sun a good deal, as we have a family history of skin cancer and repeated excisions. Even with daily supplementation of 1000 IUs, I didn't get all the way to a 40-60 ng/ml level.
8
Couldn't agree more! Well said!
3