Vitamin D again

[Guest guest]

Hi Dr McCandless,

Thank you for posting this. I started taking 5000 mgs Vitamin D a few weeks

ago, based

on a test level of 47 some months back, and forgot to ask my endocrinologist

about this

today.

I have Graves Disease and Thyroid Eye Disease, joined this list because my

ophthomologist wants me to try LDN. If you have any info about it for

autoimmune

disorder or eye issues, please let me know. My endocrinologist was not familiar

with LDN

so I'd like to have some literature available, as we'll be asking him to

prescribe and

monitor.

Best regards,

a in NYC

>

> Listmates: I do a lot of testing on my patients, and

> have not yet had one with enough Vitamin D (50 or

> above). I give everyone kids and adults 5000iu a day

> now, and may increase that for some if we keep getting

> news like this. It is important to get tested for

> serum Vit D level twice yearly and keep the levels up.

> Dr. JM

>

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

There's an excellent article in the December issue of Clinical Laboratory News from the American Association of Clinical Chemistry available online that explains the latest on the blood tests for vitamin D and why they're important. see http://aacc.org/AACC/publications/cln/2007/dec/cover2_1207.htm

Read my articles at http://autoimmunedisease.suite101.com and www.elaine-moore.com/gravesdisease/ and read more about me at www.elainemoore.net

If we single-pointedly practice great compassion, then, with little effort, we will be able to gain all other virtues-Geshe Namgyal Wangchen, "Awakening the Mind"

[low dose naltrexone] Re: Vitamin D again

Hi Dr McCandless,

Thank you for posting this. I started taking 5000 mgs Vitamin D a few weeks ago, based

on a test level of 47 some months back, and forgot to ask my endocrinologist about this

t

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[Guest guest]

Washington Post

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Vitamin D is shaping up to be the nutrient of the year, if not the decade.

Evidence is mounting that the vitamin is vital to the health of a wide

variety of body systems. Studies suggest that the vitamin plays an important

role in reducing the risk of a host of illnesses, notably osteoporosis and

possibly certain cancers and autoimmune, infectious and cardiovascular

diseases.

Unfortunately, typical blood levels of Vitamin D have dropped over the past

decade to the point that, according to a recent study, 77 percent of

Americans have insufficient amounts. Some of the decline may stem from new

testing methods. But we also go outside less often and, when we do, it's

under cover of hats and sunscreen. Other factors include obesity (fat holds

onto Vitamin D, making it less available to the rest of the body) and the

reduced consumption of fortified dairy products, one of the vitamin's main

dietary sources.

Although Vitamin D has garnered lots of press of late, many important

questions remain unanswered. Official recommendations for intake are widely

considered to be too low, for example, but there's no consensus on how much

is enough. Some experts recommend soaking up sunshine, while others say it

isn't worth the risk of skin cancer.

To make sense of it all, Consumer Reports posed some questions to several

experts in Vitamin D research.

-- How much do I really need? Based on solid evidence linking Vitamin D to

strong bones and a reduced risk of fractures, experts say that most people

should get at least 800 to 1,000 international units daily. Some nutrition

researchers say that adults may need twice that amount to raise blood levels

of the vitamin as high as those associated with a reduced risk of other

conditions, such as heart disease and cancer. But evidence in these areas is

mixed and often contradictory. One point of agreement: The current dietary

reference intake (DRI) -- which ranges from 200 to 600 IU daily for adults,

depending on age -- is too low.

-- Do I get enough from sunlight during my daily walks? Not as much as you

might think. A 2008 review published in the American Journal of Clinical

Nutrition found that people's answers to questions about their sun exposure

didn't correlate very well with their Vitamin D status. While it's true that

ultraviolet light causes a chemical in the skin to be converted into Vitamin

D, many factors can affect the process.

If you walk in the early morning or late afternoon, for example, the sun is

usually not intense enough to stimulate production of the vitamin. And if

you live in the northern half of the United States, sunlight never reaches

sufficient intensity during the winter to generate Vitamin D. Regardless of

your locale, other factors, including sunscreen and protective clothing, and

being older or overweight, can slow or even shut down your skin's Vitamin D

factory. Darker skin also hinders D production; the latest population

statistics show that only 3 percent of African Americans have healthy blood

levels of it.

-- Can I get enough from food? Probably not. For the most part, the only

foods naturally rich in the vitamin are fatty fish, such as herring (1,300

IU in a three-ounce serving); salmon (up to 850 IU in a serving of wild

salmon, much less in farmed varieties); and mackerel, sardines and tuna

(about 200 to 300 IU a serving).

Dairy products as well as some breakfast cereals, orange juices, soy-based

foods and other products are fortified with about 100 IU a serving. But most

people don't eat enough of those foods to consistently cover all of their

requirements.

-- Do I need a special supplement? Not necessarily. Manufacturers of

multivitamin and calcium supplements have increased the amount of Vitamin D

in many of their products to 800 IU. If you don't already take one of those,

you can buy Vitamin D supplements relatively inexpensively. Consider looking

for ones that contain Vitamin D3, which may be a more potent form than D2.

-- Can I overdose on it? Not unless you go out of your way to take megadoses

in supplements. You can't get too much Vitamin D from sun or food.

-- Do I need a Vitamin D test? Testing is necessary only if you have a

condition that's clearly linked to Vitamin D deficiency, notably weak bones,

or celiac disease or other ailments that impair the body's ability to absorb

the vitamin from food. Make sure your doctor orders a test for 25-

hydroxyvitamin D. Taking supplements at the recommended levels will correct

any deficiency.

Copyright 2009. Consumers Union of United States Inc.

[Guest guest]

from my experience,,, my gp is adamant about D3 only, and finding the most

absorbable 'brand'. Blood concentrations do not necessarily equate with

'benefit'.

My endocrinologist also offered the RX form of the drug to 'boost' my extremely

low levels at first, but I stayed the course with OTC brand D3 and have seen the

levels go up steadily. I have seen several posts and had emails from those who

have discovered that the RX forms of vitamin D are actually D2, this concerns

me.

Somewhere I believe I read that D2 is the part of D that can be toxic.. but I

don't recall where.

My levels did go up, slowly, month by month and we tested every month while

this was happening, due to 'fear' of 'toxicity'; something that seems debatable.

They may have gone up faster if I had been advised to proceed with increases

more rapidly. I have noticed changes in symptoms such as fatigue, bone pain,

and neuropathy... all better. But like all of us, the only 'measure' we have

is a 'blood level'.

this 'fear' factor is probably the biggest reason this area is so ignored in the

medical world. no one wants to cause 'harm' trying to do good. I doubt I

have had many areas of contention about any one thing as I have had with vitamin

D. I continue to do what I have done and consider it 'my body my problem'

since there are no other options. I am not one to go against what my doctor

advice, but am not above arguing, with reason, for what I believe. I can find

very very little on these feared toxicities actually recorded.

my suspicion is that most doctors are not 'experts' in the finer points of

vitamin d. I am not sure who is. Endocrinology is the field that deals with

this, due to the interaction with parathyroid, etc.... but that hardly means

that every endocrinologist is equally well informed in this area. With all the

different brands, and formula's out on the market, I doubt anyone is doing an

official study on just what is in any of these. This may be one area we have

to figure out on our own.

best to all, beth fillman

[Guest guest]

Pat,

I thought Vit D3 was the one that helps with osteo-issues.

My MD just put me on an additional 1000mg of D3 for

osteoporosis. Perhaps someone on the list with lots of

expertise with osteo-issues etc could respond. I also

thought there were some studies that suggested D3 may be

helpful with our CLL or was I dreaming that. Always

something,

R

ADks NY and AZ

[Guest guest]

Found a well-referenced source on vitamin D toxicity and the Ds in general -the

signs of toxicity are not easy to miss (nausea, etc.):

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient & dbid=110#toxicitysymptoms

Good luck!

M