I have been supplement D3/K2 for years.
I have been using 5 Greens D3/K2 10,000 iu.
Judging by my poor result from Medichecks they are not beneficial.
Medichecks result August 2023
50nmol (50 - 200)
I started using Better You D3/K2 since then.
Last test by the vitamintestorg.uk
67.65nmol
Any suggestions as to how I can improve my levels please.
Are you taking magnesium with it? It won't do much for you without magnesium because they work together. 
Yes. Have been taking magnesium for years also.
Good. Perhaps you just need a higher dose?
I take vit d and K2 but didn't know you had to take magnesium as well. What dose and which magnesium?
Whichever type of magnesium you like. It depends what you want it to do. Usually, one takes between 350 and 450 mg a day.
* The magnesium you take - and just about everybody needs to take it - should be chosen according to what you want it to do:
Magnesium citrate: mild laxative, best for constipation.
Magnesium taurate: best for cardiovascular health.
Magnesium malate: best for fatigue – helps make ATP energy.
Magnesium glycinate: most bioavailable and absorbable form, non-laxative.
Magnesium chloride: for detoxing the cells and tissues, aids kidney function and can boost a sluggish metabolism.
Magnesium carbonate: good for people suffering with indigestion and acid reflux as it contains antacid properties.
Worst forms of magnesium: oxide, sulphate, glutamate and aspartate.
Very useful, thank you gg.
You're welcome.
I can link you a calculator to use to work out how much vit D+ K2 to take. wildatlantichealth.com/vita...
How much are of the Better You are you taking and how often?
Most people need 3,000iu at a minimum but there are genetic variations that can mean you don't absorb it well and need more than you might otherwise.
I take 3 sprays of Better You daily which is equivalent to 3000iu.
I just wondered if anyone had recommendations for a different spray or supplement.
Will check the calculator. Thank you
The Better You sprays are fine if you take enough of them. You could just need to add another spray or two.
If you want a spray then this is quite good. barebiology.com/products/be...
The calculator suggests 4000IU. Will increase the spray then try the bare biology next. Thank you
I think I'm right in saying that Vit D is absorbed better when taken with oil or fat, so if a capsule or liquid one contains some it tends to work better 🤷♀️ don't know if 5 greens has added oil or if you took some with it it would help?
I use Bare Biology 4000 D3 with K2 I get it on subscription as much cheaper that way, and I don’t have to remember to buy it it’s always there and I use Neutrient Magnesium complex.
I used better you before and it helped but was just not raising it enough for what I needed and think Acacia in it gave me digestive problems so didn’t want to increase.
I have my levels done in May/June but I was told to take all year round as I was just doing Oct-April and wasn’t adequate for me… so I plan to see what happens now.
When I took tablet form I did take with food as mentioned fatty food helps but this Bare Biology is MCT coconut oil so no extra required.
Dietary wise might help to increase food with vitamin D.
It sounds like you have absorption problems. A sun bed might help, there is mixed information about them and vit D , maybe investigate or if you can afford a holiday somewhere hot in the winter, get some rays. There was those lamps you could buy at one time for seasonal effective disorder. I wonder if they help with vitamin D.
I don’t believe SAD lamps provide Vitamin D.
lumie.com/blog/sad-lights-v...
The only exception I know of is the Sperti lamps, which are hugely expensive.
I spend a lot of time in Spain, my vitamin D levels are never good unless I supplement. I wonder if we don’t absorb it as well from sunlight as we age.
10,000 iu a day or week?
5 Greens Vit D one tablet equates to 10,000 iu. I was taking one a day. Clearly it was not having any effect or Medichecks result was inaccurate.
Did you take it with a meal? It needs fat to be absorbed.
D3 is a fat soluble vitamin and should come as a capsule dissolved in a carrier oil. Tablets for instance are no good and neither are powders. I used a tablet version for a while and my levels barely improved but on a decent oil based capsule my levels rose no problem. I use this brand with good results and I sometimes double does in the winter. amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07...
Thank you. Will check out your link.
Hello I am not in a dissimilar place to you. I have been trying to up my vitamin D since testing nearly a year ago, firstly by dosing 8000 for a few weeks and then 4000. Having just tested, my levels have gone up a bit but nowhere near as I expected. So 2 weeks ago I have upped my dose to 12,000 and will carry on at that level until I test again in the spring. I have also bought k2 mk-7 which is supposed to be better than mk-4.
There is some interesting content that Dr John Campbell posts on YouTube about vitamin D. There is talk about vitamin D toxicity but he refers to a study where participants were given (from memory) up to 50,000 iu without adverse effects.
StanleyThyroid 'There is talk about vitamin D toxicity but he refers to a study where participants were given (from memory) up to 50,000 iu without adverse effects.'
There are people (myself included) who cannot take ANY vitamin D in supplement form. Not even the absolute minimum 400iu a day.
Always Remember that there is no 'one size fits all' answer, no matter what you may watch on YT or read on the internet.
A slightly odd and patronising response. Of course we are all different - if we were all the same there would be no need for a forum such as this. By sharing experiences we able to explore new avenues and personally in this way I have found many beneficial changes that I have made.
Incidentally Dr Campbell's posts are very much on "our side". For example he talks extensively about why certain products (like vitamin d) get such a low profile because the drug companies can make no money out of it.
Certainly not meant to be patronising. Just a warning to anyone reading here that supplementing vitamin D is not guaranteed to be harmless. I learned the hard way, making myself very unwell many years ago.
'he talks extensively about why certain products (like vitamin d) get such a low profile because the drug companies can make no money out of it.'
It's not just about 'drug companies'. Many, many supplement companies are making plenty of money from vitamin D (and other) supplements, thanks in part to people like John Campbell. And vitamin D is certainly not getting a 'low profile'.
I totally agree about supplements. I spend a lot on those as many here do, thousand of different brands at different price points with no certainty of efficacy. It's also true that many of these solutions are promoted here. In the end you have to make the best choice for you
'many of these solutions are promoted here'
I'm aware! I imagine supplement companies are doing very well thanks to this forum.
Agreed, RedApple
The distinction between drug companies and supplement companies is sometimes wafer thin - even back in 2016 when the article linked below was first published.
Clearly, drug companies are making lots from vitamin D and other supplements.
And not just in this direct ownership/investment. But also because the excipient suppliers to drug companies (often subsidiaries of those companies) also supply supplement manufacturers. And similarly the machinery and factories used for supplements.
Extract from:
The link between Big Pharma and the supplement industry
March 24, 2023
By Ann-Marie Roche
“Increasingly, Big Pharma and Big Herba are indistinguishable,” claims Parramore. “The very same mega-companies with gigantic chemical labs that make drugs are cooking up vitamin and herbal supplements labeled with sunny terms like ‘natural’ and ‘wholesome.’ Pfizer, Unilever, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline and other big pharmaceutical firms make or sell supplements.” While she does acknowledge there are a few small companies still in the mix, Parramore says they represent a small fraction of the total sales in the $39 billion-a-year supplement industry.
Yes, he's great! There's also a video about Vit D in Israel that discusses covid and zinc for faster recovery.
Vit D is supposed to be taken with the fattiest meal of the day usually dinner but sprays say take at any time. Food rich in Vit D - Fatty fish such as tuna, salmon -foods fortified with vitamin D like soymilk, orange juice, milk, cheese - egg yolks - Cod liver oil - mushrroms. Often affects Vegans.
Exposure to sunlight even on a dull day, sunny holidays, don't use sunscreen for short periods to maximise.
Older people seem to have more problems but this might be because they go out less or absorb less.
I don't know if there is any such thing as not absorbing properly, worth a bit of research perhaps. Some people appear to be higher than others naturally, but why?
Look at symptoms, I always know when I am low as a bit of depression creeps in but there are others.
If higher doses do not help perhaps seek medical help.
Rosemary opens up the vit d vdr receptors-include it in your diet when you can. Rositas cod liver oil is good and local honey. They doubled the goalpost for vit d in 2012 thus making most of us appear deficient. Try not to take the synthetic stuff as it isn't the active d125 form (that docs never measure).
Vitamin D3 is not synthetic. It is made by irradiating lanolin from sheep wool. 90% of D3 comes from China and the sheep wool is from Australia.
Some vitamin D is made from lichen, not lanolin.
What percent of the D3 supplements on the market are made from lichen?
A person can get vitamin D3 from eating a lot of oily fish as well. Just it would need to be eaten every day. Dr. David Grimes, gastroenterologist, Bradford UK. He is now retired but this video was uploaded 12 years ago.
Hi there,my late mother suffered badly from low vit d and osteoporosis ,despite a good calcium rich diet. Hers was due to a genetic link ,so I was forewarned, and started on prescription only Accrete D3 early.It can affect small boned women,which we are. My daughter takes vit D supplements all year round. I was having indigestion like symptoms with the weekly Alendronic so switched to iv zoledronic yearly instead.
Blood results- T3 levels consistent? Can I improve them? 
My Surgery has just phoned to inform me I have very low Vit d levels. I am hypo on NDT
Ferritin and Vit D Improved but Folate and Vit B12 Worse
Is there Relationship between TSH, FT3, and FT4? How could I Improve my FT4 and FT3 levels? 
Can levels be improved without drugs?
