I've just had my latest blood test results back and everything is within normal parameters again. However, despite taking Calci-D (1000mg calcium & 25mcg/1000IU Vit.D) my vit.D level is apparently on the low side of the normal range. (58 nmol/L) Normal range on my results sheet is set at 40.0 -250.0.
Together with the supplements, I try and include foods with Vit.D in....eggs, salmon, sardines etc. I go out in the sunshine whenever I can and although the UK winter probably doesn't provide enough Vit.D from the sun alone, I still go out for a walk every day.
Clearly I'm not absorbing all of the Vit.D I'm trying to provide myself with so has anyone any ideas why this is so and what, if anything, I can do to improve this?
Thankyou.
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Kendrew
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Hi Kendrew, I am not sure what the body mechanism is when it comes to D3 absorption, so I can't offer any real insights. Like you, I go out and eat the right food, however, I take 4000IU of vitamin D3. In the last test I had back in November 2020, my reading was 108 nmol/L and the normal range was listed as 25.00 - 120.00 nmol/L.
I would just up the supplemental dose and see what happens.
Gosh....what a variation in the normal ranges. My 1000IU doesn't seem much compared to the amount you take. My current calcium and Vit.D supplement is prescribed by GP and comes as one chewable tablet, so I'm assuming I can safely purchase some Vit.D3 supplements to supplement the supplement!! Haha!😄😄
You are also probably not utilising the calcium optimally either - the body only absorbs about 500mg at a time. The single dose calcium supplements LOOK good but half of it is probably wasted unless you cut them in half and take them a few hours apart.
Hi Kendrew, mine was 39.4 which is low and I'm now taking the 800 IU from the doc, but after posting here I am now topping that up with a combined tablet of 4,000iu and 100ug Vit K2.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning that it does not dissolve in water and is absorbed best in your bloodstream when paired with high-fat foods.
For this reason, it’s recommended to take vitamin D supplements with a meal to enhance absorption.
According to one study in 17 people, taking vitamin D with the largest meal of the day increased vitamin D blood levels by about 50% after just 2–3 months (7Trusted Source).
In another study in 50 older adults, consuming vitamin D alongside a fat-heavy meal increased vitamin D blood levels by 32% after 12 hours compared to a fat-free meal (8Trusted Source).
Avocados, nuts, seeds, full-fat dairy products and eggs are nutritious sources of fat that help boost your vitamin D absorption.
I would discuss with GP, rather than just buy OTC, levels need to be checked.
I do take the tablet after my main meal and it usually has healthy fats in it such as salmon. I probably do need to discuss with GP though, as you suggest.
What you are taking is not enough to raise a blood vit D level quickly - an 8 week course of 50,000 IU or so is required before checking the level again. That is 7,000 IU a day. Even then, it may take 2 such courses though you do need to check after each. jinasc was very vit D deficient, her doctor put her on the local hospital recommended high dose path and the symptoms disappeared only to return few months later. The blood level had been find after the first course - but had fallen again.
There is a massive sink of reserve vit D storage in the body fat, until that is full it won't overflow into the blood to be measured, In the UK you cannot make vit D in the skin between October and May because the sun must strike the skin at a fairly high angle to switch on the process. Even with relatively high vit D foods, you will struggle to get more than about 10% of your daily needs from diet.
Mine isn't much higher than yours and I take 4,000 IU per day all year round plus eat a lot of salmon - but if I remember rightly, wild salmon is higher in vit D than farmed salmon. You can increase the amount in mushrooms by putting them in the sun for an hour or two before cooking them. If I take less, my blood level falls steadily as the reserves are used up over the winter.
Up your daily dose - the RDA is what you need to keep ticking over - not to function optimally even if it is disputed. The assumption is made that everyone is out in the sun - but even if you are in the summer, by 65 our skin factory only makes 25% of the amount it could make at age 20 under optimal conditions.
The local osteoporosis guru here recommends 4,000 IU per day all year - and this is at a latitude similar to Turin which is the point at which the sun is high enough to make vit D in skin all year. Doesn't stop a LOT of the local popuation being deficient. Even the more conservative suggest a daily minimum of 2,000 IU - but that is after the level is in the acceptable range.
Are there any reasons you can think of that wouldn't make it safe for me to go out and just buy some Vit.D3 supplements to add to my daily Calci-D and boost the D3 intake.
Hi Kendrew, apparently it is more difficult to absorb vitamin D as we get older both from tablets and from the sun. The supplement I take is 2000iu. Some people take even more.Also I think that some products are better than others. Some of the cheaper ones have a lot of 'fillers'.
Vitamin D3 is best absorbed with healthy fat. I take a kind in an oily capsule rather than a hard pill, and with my breakfast which includes some fat. You may find this website fun to browse through. In Canada our milk is fortified with Vitamin D, which is helpful.
I am unable to take Vit. D! My levels are low and I have tried every brand out there with no success. My issue......It messes with my blood sugar and I get very very shaky. The Dr's just look at me and shake their heads. I have heard this over and over again that they have never heard of this.....any suggestions....thanks
I become hypo.......Thanks and when I have a moment I will re-read this and try to understand what is going on here. I have always thought someday I will get to the bottom of this.
From what I understood from that and a couple of other more science-y papers, vit D improves insulin sensitivity and so lowers BS levels. Are you on medication?
Yes, I am on prednisone. Now down to 2 mg. Started at 60 mg 5 years ago. I have had this reaction to Vit. D long before I was diagnosed with GCA. I sure need this vitamin.
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