All about Vitamin D.

[Ellie-Louise]

I started to look this up because the doctor has written me a letter telling me that my blood test has come up with a vitamin D deficiency.

I have been told to buy supplements and take them for 3 months, that was it...no indication of how much I need to take. So this link was from a newsletter received today, I thought it explained a lot.

medicinenet.com/vitamin_d_d...

My other tests were fine. This is what the result for D shows, I don’t really understand it and would appreciate help with it please?

Serum total 25-hydroxy vitamin D level 58 nmol/L

Severe deficiency <30nmol/l, Insufficiency 30-70nmol/l, Replete 70-200nmol/l,

Toxicity if sustained >250nmol.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Ellie-Louise

Please contact your surgery and ask what your level is, along with the unit of measurement.

Here in the UK the unit of measurement is generally NMOL/L - note that the unit of measurement in your link is NG/ML which needs to be multiplied by 2.5 to find the value in NMOL/L.

If your level is less than 30 NMOL/L your GP should follow the NICE Clinical Knowledge Summary and offer you loading doses.

If you post your result when you have it I will suggest what dose you should take and the important cofactors needed when taking D3.

If you just go ahead and buy some supplements without knowing your level you will do one of two things

1) use too low a dose and your level won't rise

2) use too high a dose and reach toxicity level because excess D3 is stored, it is fat soluble so any excess can't be excreted.

Also, if you are diagnosed with Vit D deficiency then supplementing is for life, once you reach the level recommended by the Vit D Council (100-150nmol/L) you need to maintain the level with a maintenance dose of D3.

[Ellie-Louise in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hi Susie, I am in West Sussex. I’ll see if he will ring me on Monday. Thanks for this.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Ellie-Louise]

You don't need to ask your doctor, ask at reception. Here in the UK we are legally entitled to our test results under the Data Protection Act. We always advise members to ask for a print out of any test results, it's best if we understand our results ourselves.

[Ellie-Louise in reply to SeasideSusie]

I print my results out myself because I access my records online.

I did wonder why you had asked me to get the levels when I had already put them down. Now I know that if you write a post and then edit right away, it still goes through to be read online. Oops! 🙀

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Ellie-Louise]

I went to bed immediately after my first reply so I wasn't around to see your edit last night. Never mind, dealt with now

[Spareribs]

It says 58 nmol/L (Insufficiency 30-70nmol/l ) less than 30 is deficient.

I suggest 3000iu daily to start with, see how you go, takes a lot to get to toxic levels. I use Dlux spray which also comes with K2 which helps keep calcium in bones

Get retested after 6 months and adjust dose.

Alternatives are regular sunny holidays or a ton of sardines!

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Spareribs]

Ah, original post has been edited since my first reply to include that information now!

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Ellie-Louise

I see you have now edited your original post to include your result.

With a level of 58nmol/L my suggestion would be to take 5000iu D3 daily for 8 weeks then reduce to 5000iu alternate days then retest 3 months after starting. You can do this with a fingerprick blood spot test with City Assays as your GP may not agree to test again.

vitamindtest.org.uk/index.html

When you have reached the recommended level (100-150nmol) you need to find your maintenance dose which might be 2000iu daily, maybe more, maybe less, it's trial and error.

When taking D3 there are important cofactors needed - magnesium and Vit K2-mk7. Magnesium helps your body use the D3.

D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and K2-mk7 directs the calcium to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from arteries and soft tissue where it can be deposited and cause problems.

D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds. Magnesium is calming and is best taken in the evening, four hours away from thyroid meds.

If you have autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's (confirmed by raised antibodies) then an oral spray is best. If not then you could use softgels containing just D3 and olive oil, eg Doctor's Best or Now Foods. A good K2-mk7 softgel is Healthy Origins.

[Ellie-Louise in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you, that’s very helpfull. x

I had been taking D3 along with K2 but very spasmodically, partly due to memory and also the fact that I read here somewhere to take it with a fatty meal. I don’t really do fat unless you count cheese.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Ellie-Louise]

If you use softgels containing olive oil, then a small amount of fat is enough, eg I take my softgels with a full fat yogurt, toast or crackers with butter (real butter) will do, or cheese as you suggest. It's tablets, etc, that don't contain any oil that needs the fattiest meal of the day for proper absorption.

[Ellie-Louise in reply to SeasideSusie]

I see, thank you. Those I have are in oil capsules but as I mixed a new pot ages ago with what I had left they are all two different sizes.

I’m a proper madam aren’t I? Lol

[Hidden]

My original test result was 70 nmol/l. I was prescribed 800iu which is a maintenance dose of vitamin D but has been enough to raise my Vit D levels to 90 nmol/l. Discuss with your GP what dose he would recommend you start on. Also make sure you get outside regularly especially in nice weather. I’m heat sensitive and take Azathioprine for another condition so can’t sit in the au but I do make sure I’m outside at regular intervals when the nice weather finally arrives

[Ellie-Louise in reply to Hidden]

I don’t like it hot and in summer I sit under my parasol. I will try harder this year. Lol

[Hidden in reply to Ellie-Louise]

lol I sit in the shade most of the time but being outside helps

[Angel_of_the_North]

If you are deficient, GP should be prescribing a loading dose as defined int eh guidelines for your area - not telling you to buy your own. Ah, not deficient, just insufficient, so about 3000-500iu a day D3 pref in an oil base taken with a meal. Then vit K2 (MK7) and magnesium at the other end of the day.