Vitamin D update

Hi everyone,

Vitamin D seems to be in the news again - "Pregnant women 'must take vitamin D supplements'". It's interesting to me because the article states that "the Department of Health advises pregnant women to ensure they receive a certain level of vitamin D - 10 micrograms per day." That is 400 IU of vitamin D. Compare that with the article on the Grassroots Health site - "Researchers recommend pregnant women take 4,000 IU vitamin D a day."

You may recall that late last year the OH and I decided to have our vitamin D status checked (see here) and had our first test results back to use as a baseline. The OH came in at 28 ng/mLand I was 24 ng/mL. According to the information on the Grassroots Health site and the Vitamin D Council these figures are below the lower end of the accepted range, between 40 and 50 ng/mL (100 - 125 nmol/L).

We have both been taking a 50,000 IU vitamin D3 capsule once a week since October last year and in March we had a second test kit arrive for our first follow-up. We didn't actually get around to sending it off until April time, but within the fortnight we had the results emailed through.

50,000 IU per week equates to just over 7000 IU per day. The OH's updated test gave a reading of 64 ng/mL; mine was 84 ng/mL. I suspect that my higher figure might have been due to the fact that I have spent so much time out in the garden in recent months and the weather was fine enough for me to mostly be wearing short sleeved tee shirts rather than being wrapped up in clothing. This means I was getting plenty of sun exposure and starting to build up quite a nice tan, without getting burnt. 

However, we were both really rather pleased that our vitamin D status has improved so much. Unfortunately the OH can't say that he has seen much improvement in blood glucose control, but other factors have also been in play, namely the last few months being quite stressful work-wise, which does little for balancing blood sugar control. It will be interesting to see how things progress from here on.

The OH will probably stay on the current regime and see what the next test shows up. Because I spend time out in the sun quite often, I'm happy to cut back to a dose every other week, until the autumn months come around. We will do another test in September/October time, and thereafter tweak things to suit the results.

Some people may be concerned that these figures indicate toxic levels of vitamin D. The Vitamin D Council have an article -The Truth About Vitamin D Toxicity wherein (Professor Reinhold Vieth Ph.D) reports human toxicity probably begins to occur after chronic daily consumption of approximately 40,000 IU/day (100 of the 400 IU capsules). So our 3,500 to 7000 IU/day aren't likely to be causing any problems. Especially when you consider the body makes about 10,000 IU vitamin D from just about 15 - 20 minutes exposure to the sun.

John Jacob Cannell MD recommends the following:

"... if you have little UVB exposure, my advice is as follows: 

healthy children under the age of 1 years should take 1,000 IU vitamin D3 per day

over the age of 1, 1,000 IU vitamin D3 per every 25 pounds of body weight per day. 

Well adults and adolescents should take 5,000 IU vitamin D3 per day. 

Around 2–3 months later have a 25-hydroxyvitamin 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 (125–200 nmol/L), 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."

The  OH has Type 2 diabetes; I'm on the cusp of menopause, and thus at an increased risk for osteoporosis and breast cancer the older I get. My reading of the available literature that is coming out suggests that keeping the vitamin D levels up where they are at the moment is far more likely to prove beneficial than harmful. Just so long that I don't need to supplement vitamin D because I've become pregnant!!!


Apologies for script size and density - although using 'normal' size in Blogger it is coming out rather small for some reason, so this is the best to make it readable for all. :-(

Bright Blessings, 

Karen 

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