Vitamin D - Some facts

That's good that you posted that. I started taking higher amounts of vit D simply to help protect against colds... not even knowing just HOW I would benefit from increasing my daily vit D intake. I sleep better. Much better. But not longer. I sleep the perfect amount of time and wake up refreshed. It's helped me with memory, mood and anxiety issues. I have gotten far less colds since and the one I did get lasted maybe a quarter of the time as previous ones..and was less intense. My arthritis has acted up much less. I could probably go on and on but I was surprised at the positive benefits I received. I suppose I was def. deficient.

(Now that it is about summer though and I've been outside a good bit lately I may decrease my supplemental form a I'll be getting it mostly from the sun) :sunny:

 

The skin pigmentation part has me wondering if people with dark skin need supplements more so than light skinned people.

 

Very important "vitamin" -- actually a steroid hormone.

4,000IU is actually a pretty modest dose. I take around 1,000IU per 25 lbs of body weight, so about 7,000IU daily. In the summer months I usually knock it down to 5,000IU, which is how much my multivitamins have in them. Daily doses as high as 10,000IU have shown to be safe for most people, though you should have your levels checked if you're going to be taking a larger dose regularly.

Yes, they do since they are often more deficient. This is partly also why a larger number of black people suffer from heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

 

So I know I could do a search for it but does anybody actually have a clue how they get vitamin D (and other stuff for that matter) in those multivitamin pills? Probably by chemical processess but that's not really my strongsuit..

 

That's why, Asmo, you gotta research the brand of vitamins and I don't buy cheap vitamins. And with vit D you def want D3. For my prenatal vitamin.... a lot of women take just one pill-maybe 2 a day. I take something instead that is quite expensive (not the most expensive one but not super cheap.... I do get it through the employee co-up @ my hubby's work which basically gives it to me for the price the stores can buy it, including the sales they get PLUS a 25% discount for employees and I still am currently paying between $10 and $15 a month for it....w.out discounts it would be much more.)---I take Rainbow Light's Complete Prenatal Nutritional System- 6 huge pills a day.... it's a multivit and mineral--- with extras of most things... for example my multi contains 1500 IU's of vit D3.... not anywhere near the range of PR's multi- but higher than a lot or most multis- and it also has things in it like ginger for stomach and probiotics and fetus/baby safe probiotics amongst other things... I always get my vitamins/supplements making sure they are totally organic, food based... vegan, containing no wheat, soy, GMO's, etc.

My POINT is the quality of the supplement is important.

Anyways... to PR's post... I currently take no where near what you take of vit D daily. However I have noticed a huge diff w what I do take. First of all before I was pregnant I was taking 5000-6000 IU's per day. Now I take only about 3000 IU's per day but I am also out in the sun more often. (Like today.... going to be playing with Cason out in the sun in my mom's yard and just relaxing there...another picnic and all.. .yay sun!)

 

Several years ago, there was a toddler living next door who got Rickets. I always felt sorry for her because her mother never took her outdoors. She was a black child so maybe that contributed to her having Rickets.

 

another cure-for-all miracle 'drug' for people with imaginary ailments.

 

This doesn't even make sense.

First, vitamin D is not a "drug," and secondly, the ailments that result from a deficiency are hardly imaginary. As the infographic states, around 70% of people are deficient in vitamin D. Those who aren't usually live near the equator and receive adequate amounts of sunlight.

Of all the nutrients, vitamin D is one of the most important ones.

 

Also, something I didn't include before is that if you're supplementing with vitamin D, you should also be taking vitamin K2 as well, since it has a synergistic effect when taken with D and prevents possible vitamin D toxicity if taken in larger amounts.

 

To what PR wrote about vit K first of all... interestingly enough, I was looking at the supplement (previously mentioned) that I take and comparing it to a cheaper (1 pill per day prenatal) just yesterday...and I noticed that the cheaper, lower dose one did not have any vit K in it...and this one did. I don't remember how much though but I think they probably balanced it well in their formula. Anyways, I do not know what version of vit K it is though. Hm.

Exactly what PR said to you. What you said doesn't even make sense considering, like he said, it is a vitamin, not a drug. And symptoms of a deficiency are not imaginary. Um, the funny thing about your post is, that even the medical community is beginning to realize (and discuss...mention to people, etc.) that they did not put enough emphasis on people getting enough vitamin D for a long time.

 

what doesn't make sense is how you guys suddenly fail to correctly interpret the usage of quotation marks, '...', (or metaphor for that matter). maybe you missed a dosage of vitamin D. lols.

 

No, I saw that, but I still don't get what you're implying.

 

K, I see now you recognize a vitamin isn't a drug. Congrats.

But still when you say "cure-all" and "imaginary ailments".... that type of sarcasm or generalizing, like maybe you're thinking of other things (silly things) that ppl have claimed would be a "cure-all".... doesn't make sense being that if someone is deficient in a certain vitamin then becoming non-deficient in it wouldn't be a cure for, well, anything except the vitamin deficiency.

It's just a simple fact though that vitamin D isn't in a lot of foods at all. And the recommended dosage for a long time (and still) of it in the U.S. anyways is very low.... the only place other than a couple foods you can get it is the sun and many people live in climates where it's impossible to get enough sun to meet daily requirements of vit D that way except in summer. It would also be really hard to say, drink enough milk, to get enough vit D to cure a deficiency.

Supplementation, for people in the US- can help in the colder months with deficiencies with most people who are north of MD. In the summer if you're in the sun enough, not necessary.

 

i am implying that unless you really do have actual rickets, or anything as serious as that, your ailments ''due to vitamin D deficiency'' are in your head.

yes, the medical community recognizes the importance of vitamin D (i'm perfectly aware of that), just as it recognizes the importance and benefits of other essential nutrients. or water for that matter. can't live without supplementing with water either.

medical community also recognizes that added benefits of supplementing with vitamin D on a daily basis and/or taking large dosages of the substance, have not been scientifically proven in any meaningful way. you might just supplement yourself with vinegar and call that the reason why you're suddenly sleeping better (which certainly has nothing to do with placebo effect at all).

for example, getting laid makes me sleep better. lots of things (mainly psychological, or hard-core pharmaceutical) make people sleep better. it's not a damn direct sign of improvement of any kind.

also, 70% of people are deficient? that's a joke. doesn't explain why 70% of the population of this planet is not seriously ill (minor cognitive deficiencies excluded, obviously).

 

I have an adult friend who was diagnosed with very deficient Vit D during his labs. He was prescribed Vit D but I don't remember his dosage.

 

For me I can guarantee it's not a placebo effect. How can I guarantee that? I have had certain issues for a while- arthritis, sleep probs, anxiety probs, and just... other random issues that have always seem like they could be connected but not sure to what. Anyways, I'm not trying to say every single thing was caused by a vit D def., however, the point I'm getting to is... in regards to the placebo effect... I have tried MANY different supplements at different times that other people have praised as miracle type "cure-alls"... one of the most recent was Moringa. Some people call it the tree of life and say it can do allll kinds of things. I have tried diff things to see if they would help me. And most of them, including Moringa, did not really help me.

The only thing in regards to vitamins/minerals/supplements that have really helped me was just trying a food based, high quality brand full-spectrum multi vit, mineral supplement--- I find when I have potassium in my multi---- like the one I'm currently taking--- and I also take magnesium... I find my blood pressure is lower and breathing more slow and relaxed. Those things have been known to help people with that.

In any case, obviously you're not going to be convinced. And you're not going to convince me that even though every other thing I would try to help w certain issues..even though none of them worked... that all the sudden I have relief in many symptoms because all the sudden I just have a placebo effect going on. Highly unlikely.

And honestly... I believe I was deficient in vit D. Lately I have been going outside a lot BUT in the past there have been times when I would go DAYS and not go outside or only to go to the car and back... in all kinds of weather.

 

In any case, when I mentioned before how the medical community is more fully realizing the importance of people consuming more vit D... or should I say getting more vit D, which in some climates and seasons, would have to be through supplementation... I didn't mean just that the medical community knows it's an important vitamin. I mean that doctors now are beginning to say the daily dosage that most adults get is by far NOT high enough AND that most adults, or at least, MANY adults, WOULD benefit from an increase of their vit D intake. And they are starting to say the medical community is largely to blame for many people being too low in their vit D amounts based on them telling people in the past the requirements were too low.

 

I've now begun to supplement with 5,000 iu per day, as well as taking my regular multi-vitamin (which has K in ) and Omega 3 fish oils.

My skin is very sensitive to sunlight, and I have to wear sunblock and stay covered up, so I am assuming I'm probably quite deficient. I'm actually going to get my levels tested next week.

Thanks to everyone for their input on this subject.

 

Vit D is also being found to help prevent agains some cancers and a whole lot of news keeps coming up on the idea a high dose won't hurt us especially to get to where we are not deficient anymore then lowering for maintenance.
People should ask to be tested to see where they stand before dosing high tho and look for symptoms commonly known at high doses.

If you hate taking pills or have enough already to take you can do what I do, buy kid's chewables and stick a few of them in your mouth each day, kinda takes the pill swallowing job out of maintaining.