Vitamin D

[Rennixon]

Hello all

Can I ask for how much Vit D I should take and the best form and possible brand recommendation please.

Results as shown

Thanks

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Rennixon

Vit D: 41.1nmol/L = 16.44ng/ml

The Vit D Council recommends a level of 125nmol/L (50ng/ml) and the Vit D Society recommends a level of 100-150nmol/L (40-60ng/ml).

To reach the recommended level from your current level, based on the Vit D Council's suggestions you could supplement with 4,900iu D3 daily (nearest is 5,000iu)

vitamindcouncil.org/i-teste...

Retest after 3 months.

As there's a possbility that your raised thyroglobulin antibodies may suggest autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's, then you may wish to consider an oral spray (eg BetterYou) or sublingual liquid (eg Vitabay Organic) as these bypass the stomach and are absorbed through the mucous membranes in the oral cavity. However, some Hashi's patients do well with an oil based softgel (eg Doctor's Best) which has better absorption than tablets or capsules.

Once you've reached the recommeded level then you'll need a maintenance dose to keep it there, 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 an NHS lab which offers this test to the general public:

vitamindtest.org.uk/

Doctors don't know, because they're not taught much about nutrients, but 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 such as hardening of the arteries, kidney stones, etc.

D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds if taking tablets/capsules/softgels, no necessity if using an oral spray.

Magnesium helps D3 to work. 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.

Magnesium 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 if taking tablets/capsules, no necessity if using topical forms of magnesium.

naturalnews.com/046401_magn...

drjockers.com/best-magnesiu...

afibbers.org/magnesium.html

Check out the other cofactors too (some of which can be obtained from food).

**

I know you haven't asked for further interpretation of your results, but I would point out the following:

Ferritin is low and it's recommended that it should be half way through it's range.

You can help raise your level by eating liver regularly, maximum 200g per week due to it's high Vit A content, also liver pate, black pudding, and including lots of iron rich foods in your diet

apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/in...

Folate is below range so technically you are folate deficient and your GP may consider prescribing folic acid.

Active B12 is over 70 which is the level below which testing for B12 deficiency is suggested, so it's not too bad. However, I would want mine over 100.

You could take a good B Complex containing methylfolate (rather than prescribed folic acid) and methylcobalamin which would raise your folate and B12 levels, consider Thorne Basic B or Igennus Super B, both of which contain the bioavailable forms of active ingredients.

Don't start all supplements at once. Start with one, give it a week or two and if no adverse reaction then add the next one. Again, wait a week or two and if no adverse reaction add the next one. Continue like this. If you do have any adverse reaction then you will know what caused it.

What thyroid meds are you taking? If on Levo only your results suggest poor conversion as your FT4 is over range and your FT3 is only 54% through range. This could be due to less than optimal nutrient levels, particularly ferritin, so it would be a good idea to try and optimise all nutrients. Also supplementing with selenium and zinc are supposed to help conversion although some people prefer to test these before supplementing.

[Rennixon in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you so much SeasideSusie I will take all of this information in and start with Vit D & K2 asap. I’m already taking a Vit b complex which has folate in and a B12. So should be getting on track with those. I’ll look at the rest and add them in a few weeks.

Good idea to retest too.

Levo dose was increased then decreased by gp and I’m not so happy about it. I had weird symptoms and couldn’t work out what was wrong (over/under medicated?) so I stopped levo for a few days and began with 100, then 125 daily. I’m trying to optimise my level of vits /minerals as I go. Not going back to gp as I’m going around in circles with them. Thankfully they leave you alone if you keep quiet, so I’ll do it my way. Thank you again x

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Rennixon]

I’m already taking a Vit b complex

B Complex usually contains Biotin (B7). Did you stop this for 7 days before doing your test? When Biotin is used in the testing procedure (which most labs use, including Blue Horizon and Medichecks) it can give false results if Biotin is taken as a supplement in any form.

[Rennixon in reply to SeasideSusie]

No I wasn’t taking it at all, I’ll keep this in mind when I retest. Should I stop others too before testing?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Rennixon]

Good that you weren't taking it at the time of the test. It's only Biotin that can interfere with results.

As for other supplements, you can continue taking them but on the day of the test then take after the blood draw with the following exceptions:

If you take B12 then for a baseline to see how much you are holding on to then you'd need to be off it for 4-5 months. Continuing to supplement B12 and the test result would show if your dose is appropriate, too much or too little.

If you take an iron supplement you'd need to stop it 7 days before testing ferritin/iron.

[Rennixon in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks, good to know.

[Timetraveler67 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Please can I ask you something as well? I’m waiting for my Medichecks results I only had time to stop the B complex for 2 days, does this mean my results will be floored? I’m going under GA Wednesday and needed to know what my thyroid levels were before I went under. Grateful for a reply I’m sorry to jump in thank you

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Timetraveler67]

Can't say for certain.

Last year this is what one member posted about Medichecks reply to one of our members who specifically enquired about stopping Biotin before thyroid tests:

they have confirmed that yes biotin can effect the thyroid test results.

The medical team have also added that because biotin is an ingredient used in many lab hormone test kits this can interfere with the measurement of thyroid hormones

It does this in an inconsistent way, causing falsely elevated results from some labs, and falsely low results from others. We recommend stopping biotin for one week prior to blood tests.

A few months later, after they were telling people to stop B12 but not Biotin, I queried this and their reply was:

Biotin can affect the results of any test which relies on antibodies to perform the measurement. It is wise to assume that any hormone or vitamin test will be affected, which means that the majority of our test panels can be affected by biotin supplements.

The issue with Biotin only affects people who take high dose biotin supplements. The manufacturers of the laboratory tests define this as 5000 mcg per day or more.

We are recommending people do not take high dose biotin supplements for 24 hours prior to having their blood drawn.

If they are taking high dose biotin for medical reasons (e.g. multiple sclerosis) then a shorter washout period of 8 hours can be used.

I thought Medichecks was now including information in the email that acknowledges your order?

Whatever it says, they seem to have contradicted themselves and the information is rather sketchy other than to say taking biotin can give false results if the testing equipment uses biotin (Medichecks does) but who knows exactly how much biotin will affect the results or how long it should be left off.

[Timetraveler67 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you so much seasidesusie for the much helpful information you have given me. I was only taking a very small dose so hopefully it was flushed out in time but when it comes back I will not take it as a sure result. No I had no email telling me anything like this at all, sorry but can I quickly ask you if it will effect the antibodies test which I included? I expect it does to be honest. Thanks again x

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Timetraveler67]

No I had no email telling me anything like this at all, sorry but can I quickly ask you if it will effect the antibodies test which I included?

They don't send a separate email to tell you, as far as I know it's included in the email that confirms your purchase. I don't keep my confirmation emails so have nothing to check back on but I do remember seeing something about it but not sure exactly what it says.

I don't know if antibody tests are affected, I only have the information that I quoted above.

[Rennixon in reply to Timetraveler67]

Hello, sorry but can I ask you to start a new thread, as I keep getting notifications. Thank you

[Timetraveler67 in reply to Rennixon]

I’m sorry about that really I am, I have my answer so don’t need to ask anything else now. I apologise again.

[userotc]

Ive taken 5000 iu/day for the past ~3 years and still do. It's helped take me from deficient to 148nmol/l last reading and appears to be saturated between 100-148 (I plot results vs time). I may trim down to lower dosage if next test in ~3mths shows >150.

Always taken Bulk Powders D3 which is very competitively priced online.