Vit D level has improved - is it good enough?

[Syd35]

My level in May last year was 33, just managed to get it retested and it has gone up to 65 - is this good? Not sure if it's the supplements that have upped the level or the generous amount of sunshine we have been getting

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Syd35

it has gone up to 65 - is this good?

That depends on the unit of measurement.

If it's 65 ng/ml then it's fine.

If it's 65 nmol/L then it's not, it needs to be 100-150.

[Syd35 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Oh didn't realise there were differences, when it was 33 last year the doctor said under 25 was deficiency if that makes sense / would you know what that figure relates to?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Syd35]

If you are in the UK it's possibly nmol/L but some labs do use ng/ml.

Maybe ring your surgery and ask for the unit of measurement.

[Syd35 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hi it's nmol just phoned surgery - so 33 must have been really low if 65 is still not right?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Syd35]

Syd

Yes 33 is just 3 points above where you would be given loading doses totalling 300,000iu D3 over a few weeks.

What supplement are you taking?

If you have Hashi's then you would be best using an oral spray such as BetterYou as it bypasses the stomach for better absorption.

If you don't have Hashi's you will be fine with a D3 softgel (for example Doctor's Best) which works out cheaper.

With your level of 65nmol/L I would suggest you take 4000iu daily and retest in 3 months.

Once you've reached the level recommended by the Vit D Council - which is 100-150nmol/L - and then you'll need a maintenance dose which may be 2000iu daily, maybe more or less, maybe less in summer than winter, it's trial and error so it's recommended to retest once or twice a year to keep within the recommended range. You can do this with a private fingerprick blood spot test with City Assays vitamindtest.org.uk/

There are important cofactors needed when taking D3 as recommended by the Vit D Council -

vitamindcouncil.org/about-v...

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 tissues 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 helps D3 to work and comes in different forms, check to see which would suit you best and as it's calming it's best taken in the evening, four hours away from thyroid meds

naturalnews.com/046401_magn...

Check out the other cofactors too.

Suggestions for supplements if you don't have Hashi's

D3 - dolphinfitness.co.uk/en/doc...

Take 2 daily until you reach the recommended level. There are other suppliers if you want to check prices and postage.

K2-MK7 - bigvits.co.uk/product.php?p...

Take 1 daily. Not many suppliers of this supplement as it's from the US. This company is cheapest.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

passingout123

The USA uses ng/ml as a unit of measurement and the Vit D Council recommends a level of 40-60 ng/ml.

vitamindcouncil.org/i-teste...

The UK generally uses nmol/L (but occasionally ng/ml) and the recommended level is 100-150 nmol/L.

[cabro2]

Try adding Vitamin K-2 to the D3. They work together.

[Syd35 in reply to cabro2]

Thanks, have been doing so

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to cabro2]

Cabro2

Try adding Vitamin K-2 to the D3. They work together.

Not quite.

We need Magnesium so that the body utilises D3, it's required to convert Vit D into it's active form. So it's important we ensure we take magnesium when supplementing with D3.

Taking D3 aids absorption of calcium from food, so the role of K2 is to ensure that the calcium is directed to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from arteries and soft tissues where it can be deposited and cause problems such as hardening of the arteries, kidney stones, etc.