Supplement or Not

[Batty1]

I just received my Vitamin D and Folate test (what a fight) to even get these tested.

Vitamin D: 32.2 ( 30-100) Recent

Vitamin D: 32.5 (30-100) Last August test

Folate: 10.74 (4.6-34.8) First time folate was tested

Would you supplement Vitamin D ?

My Doctor says my Vitamin D is fine although I have read that anything 30-50 is considered deficient by are gov’t regulations but it seems that the doctors don’t listen to the regulators or the regulations hasn’t caught up to the medical field yet … She got snarky when I said to her my D seems low considering I sit in the sun almost daily…. Then “supplement” if you want it higher but its in range …. Soon as you question something they get bent.

[UyYy]

hi there!

From my experience, I had low d3 last year..

Quite low.. much lower than yours.

Maybe you can hold off on supplementing now. Rather just up your Vit D foods..

Such as eggs, milk, cheese etc.

If you don’t have any troubling symptoms that show up with Vit D deficiency then I wouldn’t worry too much about it!

[Batty1 in reply to UyYy]

Im not sure if my issue are related to low D or not I do have 2 medical conditions that are notorious for causing Vitamin D issues and I can’t budge my D off of 32 in spite of sitting outside for hours and I do occasionally eat eggs, cheese (never milk) but my cholesterol is very high so I do avoid cheese as much as possible.

Thanks for your thought.

[UyYy in reply to Batty1]

Ah!

Maybe it could be worth investigating further if those medical conditions could be a cause.

I also thought that maybe, just maybe, you could try a different lab and see what their results show for the same exact tests.

It’s definitely worth checking if you can’t up your results past 32, as you mentioned.

My symptoms were lightheadedness and body aches. After two months of supplements, I had good relief.

Just to note, if you’re vit d was very low, you would be falling sick quite often also…

Since it plays a major role in immune support.

Overall, I do think you’ll be ok hence the first tests are within reference range.

[Batty1 in reply to UyYy]

My conditions definitely has a roll in low Vitamin D (psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis) and now hypothyroidism… Im really not sure what’s causing what but my thought was it shouldn’t hurt to try some vitamin D.

Thanks for your time again appreciate it.

[UyYy in reply to Batty1]

You’re welcome!

Sometimes, out gut feeling can be a solution to minor problems.

Maybe talk to a pharmacist to recommend a low dose of Vit D supplements.

See how you feel in terms of if you react to the supplements when you start.

Wishing you the very best, take good care and God bless!

[Imaaan]

In your shoes , I would absolutely supplement. My levels werent as low as yours and I got prescription d3

[Batty1 in reply to Imaaan]

Thats why its so confusing to know what to do.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Batty1

You might want to check out a recent post that I wrote about Vit D and supplementing:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

and you can check out the link to how to work out the dose you need to increase your current level to the recommended level.

Your current level of 32.2ng/ml

On the Vit D Council's website

web.archive.org/web/2019070...

you would scroll down to the 4th table

My level is between 30-40 ng/ml

The Vit D Council, the Vit D Society and Grassroots Health all recommend a level of 40-60ng/ml, with a recent blog post on Grassroots Health mentioning a study which recommends over 50ng/ml. They suggest you supplement with 2,500iu D3.

Don't forget the important cofactors - magnesium and Vit K2-MK7, and retest in 3 months to check your level and adjust if necessary.

Not everyone is efficient at making Vit D from the sun.

[Batty1 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks and your right I think Im one of those people whose skin issues make it difficult to get Vitamin D from the sun the August test was smack dab in middle of summer and it’s barely higher then the recent winter test … although a mild winter sat outside a lot past month.

I already take magnesium but should I take the Vitamin D and Vitamin K with the magnesium or separately?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Batty1]

I already take magnesium but should I take the Vitamin D and Vitamin K with the magnesium or separately?

There's no necessity to take them together.

D3 and K2 are both fat soluble so both need fat to be absorbed. If they do not come with their own fat then if you take them together they will compete for the fat for absorption. So it depends on what supplements you buy.

If you buy a combined D3/K2 supplement then ensure it has some kind of fat listed in the ingredients, eg olive oil, then there should be enough for them both to be absorbed.

If you buy separate supplements you could make sure they have fat included and then you could take them together.

If the D3/K2 separate supplements do not contain any fat then they should be taken at different times of the day and each should be taken with some dietary fat, eg full fat yogurt or cheese, etc.

D3, like magnesium, should be taken 4 hours away from thyroid meds. K2 should be taken 2 hours away from thyroid meds.