Re: High dose Vitamin D3 and Vitamin A - also toxins

[Guest guest]

I would be very careful with too much vitamin A. Vitamin D researchers think

that Vitamin A interferes with Vitamin D absorption and makes it less effective.

This is why most do not recommend Cod-liver oil any longer, because of high A

and lower D through modern processing.

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/newsletter/2008-december.shtml

Also, from another post, vitamin D3 also helps remove toxins from your body:

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/science/research/vitamin-d-and-toxin-and-radiatio\

n-exposure.shtml

But I'd be very careful with high doses of D3 (more than 10,000 iu) on a

maintenance basis. If you do, I would recommend testing to ensure that D or

calcium levels are not getting toxic!

Patti J

>>And high doses of vitamin D should go with plenty of vitamin A (retinol), the

forgotten and feared vitamin, but one which is very essential for the body and

>>immune system and for fighting cancer.

[Guest guest]

VITAMIN D3 (cholecalciferol)

I would take at least 5000 IU/day. Abram Hoffer, M.D. used 5-19,000 IU.

“trials running in Canada using up to 40,000 IU per day in cancer

patients…Go to clinicaltrials.gov and search for 'vitamin D cancer’†4/09

re: prevention:

After taking 1000 IU of vit. D3 cholecalciferol and 1,400-1,500 calcium for 4

yrs, CANCER RATES DIMINISHED 77% (Lappe et al., 2007;

www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/85/6/1586; see also

www.thevitamindcure.com/blog/?p=34).

For more info on vit. D & cancer,

www.naturalnews.com/025495.html

www.vitaminD3world.com

www.cancerdecisions.com/061905.html (Ralph Moss)

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=PubMed & list_uids=10326788\

& dopt=Abstract

www.breastcancerchoices.org/vitd3

www.annieappleseedproject.org/vitdanditsan.html

www.annieappleseedproject.org/vitd3anclaso.html

www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=16715 (prostate cancer [PC])

www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/8525697700573E1885256BC000587596

(synergistic w/chemo for PC)

VITAMIN A:

Concerns about harmful effects of large amounts of vit. A are exaggerated,

particularly w/short-term use. Several years ago Donsbach mentioned that he

gives his cancer patients

1,000,000 IU of vit. A, and some doctors have given cancer patients 2-3 million

a day (though when taking megadoses, I believe you need to use emulsified vit.

A, and I’d take large doses ONLY under medical supervision).

LARGE amounts of vit. E greatly help prevent vit. A toxicity.

I heard to AVOID megadoses of vit. A if you have liver or brain cancer or

liver/brain metastases or if you’re taking IL2.

" In the medical literature, toxicity usually occurs with doses in excess of

100,000 units a day for periods in excess of a year....emulsified vitamin A

products are widely used in cancer clinics; these forms have less liver

toxicity....for therapeutic effects....Large doses need to be given to attain an

anticancer effect. " ( , M.D. [www.ivanhoe.com])

(7/21/08) commented: " vitamin A is a mixed blessing....Use Acutane

whenever possible. "

Leonard

[Guest guest]

Furthermore, the consumption of preformed retinol

even in amounts consumed by many Americans in both

multivitamins and cod liver oil may cause bone

toxicity in individuals with inadequate vitamin D

status.

This says to me that vitamin D deficiency is the real problem, rather than too

much vitamin A. Vitamin D is necessary to balance the effects of vitamin A.

Weston A Price.org say:

" While some forms of synthetic vitamin A found in supplements can be toxic at

only moderately high doses, fat-soluble vitamin A naturally found in foods like

cod liver oil, liver, and butterfat is safe at up to ten times the doses of

water-soluble, solidified and emulsified vitamin A found in some supplements

that produce toxicity. "

" The RDA values [for vitamin A] are based on studies conducted in the general

population, which is now recognized to be largely deficient in vitamin D. "

They go on to say that:

" Individuals under stress or wishing to use cod liver oil to treat a disease

condition may take much larger doses, even up to doses providing 90,000 IU

vitamin A per day, for a period of several weeks. "

http://www.westonaprice.org/Cod-Liver-Oil-Basics-and-Recommendations.html

> Women in the highest quintile of total vitamin A

> intake have a 1.5-times elevated risk of hip

> fracture.

I think this is a vitamin D deficiency problem, common in modern populations who

don't work outside and so lack vitamin D.

Simply because vitamin D is lacking in people, doesn't mean vitamin A is bad. I

believe it means vitamin D is very important, as is vitamin A.

I check blood vitamin D as well as vitamin A level. You might find that vitamin

A can become depleted in many people with cancer. The highest vitamin A level in

my personal experience was 60 ug/dl, but more often it was around 40 and 50

ug/dl. That's well within the " normal " range. I also check blood calcium and

it's always been in the normal range. Vitamin D was 54 ng/dl when I checked

last, so we adjusted the amount of D3 up accordingly (to 20,000 IU per day),

since I'd like to see it at least in the 65-90 ng/dl range for cancer.

" In cancer patients, the retinol (vitamin A) binding protein in the intestine

which absorbs vitamin A is low. This protein is called the Cellular

Retinol-binding Protein (CRBP) and may play an important role in the absorption

and necessary intestinal metabolism of vitamin A. "

Because cancer tissue is extremely low in vitamin A, there may be a mechanism

which serves to destroy vitamin A. For those doing hyperthermia therapy, immune

response of hyperthermia treatment is improved if the level of vitamin A is

improved in the blood.

Vitamin A causes redifferentiation in some cancer cells (ie. they become

normal), such as leukemia and some breast cancers. The cancers that respond most

to vitamin A have vitamin A retinoic acid receptors (RAR), similar to ER, PR and

HER2 receptors in breast cancer. ER+ breast cancers more commonly respond to

vitamin A, because they often have these RAR.

" Retinoic acid receptor (RAR) alpha has been shown to play a role in

retinoid-induced growth inhibition of human breast cancer cell lines that

express the estrogen receptor (ER). "

- CANCER RESEARCH 57, 2642-2650, July 1, 1997

" Patients with ER-negative tumors that are RAR-alpha positive may be candidates

for retinoid therapy. "

- CANCER RESEARCH 57, 2642-2650, July 1, 1997

" Retinoids, the natural and synthetic vitamin A derivatives, are known to

regulate a broad range of biological processes, including growth,

differentiation, and development. They are currently used in the treatment of

epithelial cancer and promyelocytic leukemia and are being evaluated as

preventive and therapeutic agents for a variety of other human cancers. "

- MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY, Mar. 1996, p. 1138–1149

Also for those doing conventional therapies, vitamin A appears to enhance the

effects of chemotherapy and reduces the side effects. For the reasons stated

above, vitamin A injections may be the best choice to get high enough doses into

the body before chemotherapy.

" The synthetic retinoid fenretinide induces a significant risk reduction of

second breast cancer in premenopausal women, which is remarkable at younger

ages, and persists several years after treatment cessation. "

- ls of Oncology 17: 1065–1071, 2006

Unfortunately this vitamin A analog isn't available commercially as yet. Sirion

Therapeutics, siriontherapeutics.com, is developing it.

I take a natural form of cod liver oil but I also supplement with extra vitamin

D3 since I don't get enough sunshine. But modern processing of many brands of

cod liver oil is definitely a problem and something to watch out for. Anyone

getting enough sunshine most likely has optimal levels of vitamin D, but

checking with a blood test is a good idea to be sure.

Generally to avoid problems with high dose vitamin therapy, it's best to take a

vitamin cocktail. Most vitamins balance each other out and toxicity can easily

be avoided. In my personal experience I haven't seen any problems taking high

dose supplements in this way.

>

> I would be very careful with too much vitamin A. Vitamin D researchers think

that Vitamin A interferes with Vitamin D absorption and makes it less effective.

This is why most do not recommend Cod-liver oil any longer, because of high A

and lower D through modern processing.