Vitamin D - Did I miss something?

I have lost count of how many people have told me they are now taking seperate Vitamin D pills. Was there some story on 60 Minutes or an article in Cosmo about the benefits of taking Vitamin D pills? Sure, I take a number of supplements and Vitamin D is probably included in my multi vitamin but these people are all taking a D pill in addition to a multi. And none of these people live on a submarine. They all get exposed to sunlight.

Am I doomed? Will I be bald, blind, deaf and crippled before the age of 40 because I do not take a seperate D pill everyday?

I have lost count of how many people have told me they are now taking seperate Vitamin D pills?

I'm doing it, too, but only an additional 40 mgs a day. My mother-in-law takes 50,000 units a day. Ihave no idea what a unit is.
Its because we don't get outside much, I guess, so we are having trouble converting the calcuim we eat into our bones, which sunlight does, or something like that. Next weeek we'll find out its bad so just keep drinking red wine.

[Jenise]

On the advice of his doctor, my husband is one of those people. Bloodwork suggested he was low--probably the result of sun avoidance and prodiguous use of sunscreen when he's outdoors. Probably the reason a lot of people run low, though you didn't say where you cottoned onto the idea that this is an epidemic.

Vitamin D supplements are supposed to help quite a bit with depression and seasonal affective disorder. I read some research on this a few years ago, but with most of my life in storage, I probably couldn't find the specific citation at the moment.

Since I also need extra calcium, I've been trying to drink milk. But I hate it and can only choke it down if there is enough chocolate in it to completely disguise the fact that it is milk.

[Jenise]

Vitamin D supplements are supposed to help quite a bit with depression and seasonal affective disorder. I read some research on this a few years ago, but with most of my life in storage, I probably couldn't find the specific citation at the moment.

Since I also need extra calcium, I've been trying to drink milk. But I hate it and can only choke it down if there is enough chocolate in it to completely disguise the fact that it is milk.

Didn't know those things about Vit D--maybe Bob and I should both load up until the remodel's done!

Didn't know you hated milk, too. Milk AND mayo--we must be related. And if we're not, I want to be.

I like milk and mayo. Make sure you are taking D3, not D2.

I have lost count of how many people have told me they are now taking seperate Vitamin D pills?

I'm doing it, too, but only an additional 40 mgs a day. My mother-in-law takes 50,000 units a day. Ihave no idea what a unit is.
Its because we don't get outside much, I guess, so we are having trouble converting the calcuim we eat into our bones, which sunlight does, or something like that. Next weeek we'll find out its bad so just keep drinking red wine.

Vitamin D 1mcg = 40IU

...Am I doomed? Will I be bald, blind, deaf and crippled before the age of 40 because I do not take a seperate D pill everyday?

I've never taken a vitamin D supplement. I am over 40, not bald, blind, deaf or crippled. I am, however, prone to nod off for a nap every afternoon.

D deficiency is epidemic. More tube time, less outdoor time even in southern climes. You can not rely on D supplemented dairy products. When multiple milks were analyzed the actual content of D ranged from nothing to as specified. The current MDR is 400 IU but likely soon to be raised possibly as high as 1200 IU daily.
Like everything else that gets studied its role in nutrition is rapidly expanding - this weeks report is that supplemented seniors fared better on cognitive tests compared to non supplemented.

So, Dave, it'll be fat, bald, blind, deaf and dumb !

D deficiency is epidemic. More tube time, less outdoor time even in southern climes. You can not rely on D supplemented dairy products. When multiple milks were analyzed the actual content of D ranged from nothing to as specified. The current MDR is 400 IU but likely soon to be raised possibly as high as 1200 IU daily.
Like everything else that gets studied its role in nutrition is rapidly expanding - this weeks report is that supplemented seniors fared better on cognitive tests compared to non supplemented.

So, Dave, it'll be fat, bald, blind, deaf and dumb !

Yes, the problem is that vitamin D is biosynthesized in response to UV irradiation, so sunscreen or opaque clothing reduce our vitamin D production. On a side note, I've also noticed that most organic milk brands do not supplement their whole milk with vitamin D. Since young children are especially in need of bone calcification, this can exacerbate the problem.

Mark Lipton

A little something I was perusing today:

Vitamin D may be of interest in the prevention of cognitive impairment, though previous findings are inconclusive. Participants were 1766 adults aged 65 years and older from the Health Survey for England 2000, a nationally representative population-based study. Cognitive impairment was assessed using the Abbreviated Mental Test Score. The cross-sectional relation of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D quartiles to cognitive impairment was modeled using logistic regression. In all, 212 participants (12%) were cognitively impaired. Odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for cognitive impairment in the first (8-30 nmol/L), second (31-44 nmol/L), and third (45-65 nmol/L) quartiles of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D compared with the fourth (66-170 nmol/L) were 2.3 (1.4-3., 1.4 (0.8-2.4), and 1.1 (0.6-1.9), after adjustment for age, sex, education, ethnicity, season of testing, and additional risk factors for cognitive impairment (P for linear trend = .001). Our data suggest low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D is associated with increased odds of cognitive impairment.

I don't use sunscreen and try to spend a couple of hours per day in the sun - when there is any in Oregon. Also, the UVBs (which is what you want) are much more prevalent and available between 10:00 and 2:00 - the times you were formerly enjoined to stay out of the sun.

In winter I take between 4000 and 5000 IUs of D3 daily.

I'm with Chef on this. I get yearly checkups and am tested regularly for Vitamin D. Depite walking an hour or more outside in the winter, longer in summer, the recco is for 2000 to 3000 units a day.

A very good general discussion from Harvard:

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionso ... index.html

Extract:

The Institute of Medicine's current recommended intake of vitamin D is 5 micrograms (200 IU) up to age 50, 10 micrograms (400 IU) between the ages of 51 and 70, and 15 micrograms (600 IU) after age 70. Optimal intakes are much higher, though, with at least 25 to 50 micrograms (1,000 to 2,000 IU) recommended for those over age 2.

If the multivitamin you take does not have 1,000 IU of vitamin D, you may want to consider adding a separate vitamin D supplement, especially if you do not spend much time in the sun. In extremely high doses—hundreds of thousands of IU or more—vitamin D is toxic and can even cause death; but in adults, taking up to 2,000 IU per day as a supplement is safe. In fact, some people may need 3,000 or 4,000 IU per day for adequate blood levels, particularly if they have darker skin, spend winters in the northern U.S., or have little exposure to direct sunlight. If you fall into these groups, ask your physician to order a blood test for vitamin D.


Food sources: Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D. Good sources include dairy products and breakfast cereals (both of which are fortified with vitamin D), and fatty fish such as salmon and tuna. For most people, the best way to get the recommended daily intake is by taking a supplement, but the level in most multivitamins (400 IU) is too low; encouragingly, some manufacturers have begun adding 800 or 1,000 IU of vitamin D to their standard multivitamin preparations.

Getting vitamin D from the sun: Correctly applied sunscreen reduces our ability to absorb vitamin D by as much as 90 percent; sunscreen takes a few minutes to have this vitamin D-dampening effect, however, so if you put it on just before you go outside, you will be able to get enough sun exposure. In northern latitudes, however, exposure to the sun in winter will not form vitamin D (due to the angle of the sun's rays), so a supplement is advisable.

Let me add if you're getting your winter Vitamin D from milk, it may not be the right kind (and it's not enough, anyway). If it's the synthetic, D2, it's not the right kind. The milk I drink has no hormones and D3 is specified on the label.

Pop a half dozen or so Omega-3 eggs per week. That'll help, too.

Cynthia said:
Since I also need extra calcium, I've been trying to drink milk. But I hate it and can only choke it down if there is enough chocolate in it to completely disguise the fact that it is milk

I'm not keen on milk, either. I drink soy milk because I like the flavour - some brands have levels of calcium similar to cow's milk. But I do like yoghurt, so I eat plenty of that, and every time I eat cheese I congratulate myself on the calcium I'm taking in. Osteoporosis will probably get me in the end, but I'm going down kicking and screaming (through a mouthful of yoghurt and cheese).

we must be related. And if we're not, I want to be.

Can you imagine the fun we could have if we lived closer geographically?

And if you were family, family reunions would be a hoot!!

Vitamin D 1mcg = 40IU

Thanks for this, Chef! but what's an 'mcg'? the 'c' is confusing me.

mcg=microgram=1 millionth of a gram

Here's one of many links to the new interest in vitamin D: http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/diet.fitness/05/20/cl.vitamin.d/index.html

Personally, I take a separate 1000 IU tab of Vit D3 every day. It's cheap insurance.

Thanks for all of the great information, everyone. I appreciate it.

One other thing about vitamin D--it's dangerous to take very high doses without medical supervision. For most vitamins, if you take in more than the body can use, the excess is merely excreted harmlessly. This isn't true of vitamins D and A. These are stored in the liver and over time can build up to toxic levels. Polar bear liver contains such high concentrations of vitamin D that it it toxic to humans.

So if you're taking mega-doses of either vitamin D or vitamin A, you're playing a dangerous game with your health. Stick to doses near the RDA.

-Paul W.

One other thing about vitamin D--it's dangerous to take very high doses without medical supervision. ...

So if you're taking mega-doses of either vitamin D or vitamin A, you're playing a dangerous game with your health. Stick to doses near the RDA.

-Paul W.

A couple of caveats, Paul -- Medical supervision is wise and I take megadoses of D with regular checkups. But the NIH fact sheet, updated December 2008, suggests much higher levels than the RDA for vitamin D are safe. See

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp#h8

The NIH agrees with your cautions on Vitamin A: see http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamina.asp#h7

Regards, Bob

One other thing about vitamin D--it's dangerous to take very high doses without medical supervision. For most vitamins, if you take in more than the body can use, the excess is merely excreted harmlessly. This isn't true of vitamins D and A. These are stored in the liver and over time can build up to toxic levels. Polar bear liver contains such high concentrations of vitamin D that it it toxic to humans.

So if you're taking mega-doses of either vitamin D or vitamin A, you're playing a dangerous game with your health. Stick to doses near the RDA.

-Paul W.

The current RDAs for D are woefully out of date and completely inadequate for health. I think you're playing with your health by not keeping current on what your body needs and doesn't need based on the latest studies with proper supervision and sufficient number of participants.

As I recall, anything under 10,000 IU Vit D is okay.

[Robin Garr]

Since I also need extra calcium, I've been trying to drink milk. But I hate it and can only choke it down if there is enough chocolate in it to completely disguise the fact that it is milk.

Will yogurt work? I eat some every morning, assuming that it can't hurt to keep one's calcium up ...

And of course there's always ice cream ...