Someone explain this to me...Vit D

[minkydog]

Although I am a nurse of many years, I'm having a hard time understanding the role of Vit D, other than its role in keeping bones healthy. Recently I had some labs done for suspicion of diabetes and Vit D was among them. My D level came back at 11, which I understand is very low. I'm now taking 50,000u weekly. But I don't understand what the implication of having a very low Vit D level and I don't understand how it got so low? Can someone please explain this to me? In English? I'm old.

 

[dakcp2001]

Vit D helps you absorb calcium, and also has an impact on your phosporus calcium ratio, so if you do not have enough vit d, your body cannot use any calcium...not sure how yours could be that low do you drink milk? I think it is fortified, and do you ever get any sun?


They say about 15 min of uvb rays a day can help you produce enough vit d. Have you had rickets or osteoporosis?

 

[HannaBelle]

Okay...did anyone else scan this title and think it said VD instead of Vit D?

My 16DS has low vit D and I think it is due to a lack of sun and a lack of milk. It is a constant struggle to get that boy to drink milk! We found out b/c he was having a lot of fatigue last fall and they did some blood work for him as well.

I think it is more likely that he is not getting enough sleep or sun. He is a swimmer and gets up daily at 6am to swim for 2 hours before school starts...then gets out of school at 4 and it is dark here at 5:30 in the fall/winter.

He does not have a lot of free time. I also know you can use sun lamps to help with Vit D deficiency.

 

[Tiger926]

That is very low - I am seriously Vit D deficient as is my sister. We were on massive amounts as well (higher than 50,000). Vitamin D by the way is not a vitamin, but a hormone. It is very important for calcium absorption as mentioned, but also has been linked to many autoimmune disorders/diseases: MS, cancer, etc.

There is so much research being done now as Vit D can help so many functions in the body. My Canadian government, as well as U.S. is looking to revamp all Vit D recommendations for adults and children as they are seriously low.

Also, contrary to popular belief, it is very rare and difficult to overdose on Vit D. You would have to take hundreds of thousands of units per week, for months on end. So, our bodies can handle pretty high amounts which is beneficial in strengthening our immune systems, as this is another benefit of Vit D.

Regarding your low levels - where do you live? Here in Canada, we can stand naked for 7 months out of the year, and not get any Vit D as the sun is turned away from us! Canadians are some of the most deficient Vit D people in the world, and we have very high rates of: cancer, diabetes, MS, etc. For you, you might have absorption issues (as my sis and I have), so your levels might be low for this reason. Or, do you have dairy allergies? My sis and I do, so we have all 3 of the above markers, and that is why our levels are so low. I also was diagnosed with Osteoporosis at a very young age (31) and besides genetics, my low Vit D played a part in it.

Lastly, applying sunscreen blocks all Vit D, and lightboxes that are used for SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) do not give off Vit D (above poster is incorrect), but tanning booths do as it is the ultraviolent light that is important here.

Good luck in getting those levels up, Tiger

 

[pigletgirl]

Because we aren't in the sunshine enough. Its super common and most people are vitamin d deficient. We need 10-15min a day of hard sunshine.

We are actually using too much sunscreen! Our skin needs to absorb some of the sun.

 

[taximomfor4]

THere also is apparently a correlation between having no gallbladder (which helps in the emulsification of fats for digestion) and vit D deficiency (which is fat-soluble). My level was the same as yours, OP. I do have an autoimmune condition, perhaps if I would have caught my deficiency earlier, I wouldn't?

I rarely wear sunblock because I normally don't spend more than 20 minutes at a time out in the sunb. SO I doublt THAT is my reason-- but I DID get my gallbladder removed at age 22. I also have milk in cereal each day, and generally remember to take a multivitamin that includes D.

I try to remember to take a supplement each day, but I tend to forget half the time!

 

[rparmfamily]

This is all very interesting. I live in Hawaii and wonder about those who live in warm climates,etc. I know our sun even in winter still has a "summer/warm" feel to it, especially compared to the mainland.

 

[NMAmy]

I've also recently discovered that my Vitamin D level is very low and I'm on a high dose for another three months. According to my doctor, one cause may be that I live in Michigan and we don't get a lot of sun in the winter months. I'm also fair skinned and while I don't use sun screen, I do tend to cover up in the sun and don't spend any time sitting out in the sun.

 

[FireDancer]

Vitamin D (which is a hormone and not actually a vitamin) plays a very important role in many aspects of our health from our immune system to aging.

The way in which our bodies create Vitamin D make it almost impossible to actually produce enough naturally. First, we don't walk around naked in the sun for the most part in today's world and we don't lie close enough to the equator in most of N. America for the UV rays to produce enough of the hormone anyway. The UV rays that kick off the process have to hit our skin at very specific angles to start the process. If those rays are a fraction of a degree off they will not cause the proper chemical reactions. Further, washing the skin with soap for up to 48 hours after exposure can wash away some of the hormone. It is a very complicated process and there are books and books written on the subject. I've done a lot of my own research on the topic and supplement with Vitamin D myself.

A computer security researcher named Steve Gibson is a health hobbyist and has compiled a lot of information on the subject from a scientific point of view. His Vitamin D page can be found here and it has links to source information and links to a podcast he did on the subject.

Another site I frequent that has a lot of Vitamin D information is Dr. Mercola's page. If you do a search for Vitamin D you will get a lot of information.

 

[georgina]

Very interesting stuff, firedancer. I am out in the sun a lot and drink milk, yet still keep getting low Vit D levels. Have done the 50,000 IU for 13 weeks twice, with taking 1000 a day in between, and I still can't keep my level up.

 

[ogreenlee]

i, too, am on Vit D supplements; 50,000iu


i read a study a few months back that most kids are Vit D deficient between sunscreen and no sun.. they're lacking.

 

[FireDancer]

Very interesting stuff, firedancer. I am out in the sun a lot and drink milk, yet still keep getting low Vit D levels. Have done the 50,000 IU for 13 weeks twice, with taking 1000 a day in between, and I still can't keep my level up.

Your latitude probably has a lot to do with it, especially this time of year. After all the reading I have done on the matter it is a complicated thing. As we age our bodies have a harder time making the hormone efficiently. One of the theories banded about on aging is that this is one of the key components to the aging process, along with free radicals.

It's one of the subjects I enjoy (health in general, not just Vit D) and there really is a lot of good info. But, like most health topics, you have to take it all in and decide what seems relevant and what does not. That is the real challenge.

 

[honugirl]

It's being shown that Vitamin D is actually better at fighting viruses and stuff than vitamin C is. The only time I'm not sick is when I suck down large quantities of vitamin D. I take at least 5,000 units a day, more if I feel a cold/flu/etc. coming on. After 3 years of daily supplementation I'm now in the "normal" range.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

My level was 19. Doc put me on 50,000 IU this week. I have to stay out of the sun per my dermatologist. I am also starting a calcium supplement. My doctor said that I was also anemic. It seems that at 46, I'm beginning to fall apart.

 

[minkydog]

My level was 19. Doc put me on 50,000 IU this week. I have to stay out of the sun per my dermotologist. I am also starting a calcium supplement. My doctor said that I was also anemic. It seems that at 46, I'm beginning to fall apart.

I know what you mean. Since I turned 43 "stuff" has been happening right and left. Now it's just patch, patch, patch.

I live in Georgia and we get a lot of sun. I am not an outdoors girl, but I don't use sunscreen at all (I know, I know, I'm going to look like Granny of the Clampetts.) I wonder if Vit D deficiency has a hereditary component? My mother's family is from Wales; she's 1st gen American. I doubt she has ever had her Vit D tested.

So, what are the implications of having Vit D deficiency? Does it actually *cause* stuff or is it just associated with stuff? I have read that there is some corelation with breast & prostate cancer, and diabetes but I don't understand if they meant that Vit D could actually cause those things or whether they just are found concurrently. Anybody got an idea about this?

 

[Christine]

I know what you mean. Since I turned 43 "stuff" has been happening right and left. Now it's just patch, patch, patch.

I live in Georgia and we get a lot of sun. I am not an outdoors girl, but I don't use sunscreen at all (I know, I know, I'm going to look like Granny of the Clampetts.) I wonder if Vit D deficiency has a hereditary component? My mother's family is from Wales; she's 1st gen American. I doubt she has ever had her Vit D tested.

So, what are the implications of having Vit D deficiency? Does it actually *cause* stuff or is it just associated with stuff? I have read that there is some corelation with breast & prostate cancer, and diabetes but I don't understand if they meant that Vit D could actually cause those things or whether they just are found concurrently. Anybody got an idea about this?

Since Vitamin D is actually a hormone and not a "vitamin" such as Vitamin B, the deficienc doesn't really work the same.

Vitamin D deficiencies below the level of, I think 20 or so, set a person up for developing autoimmune disorders. Chronic low levels contribute to the development of cancers. It has become a widely accepted theory that influenza seems to flourish in the winter months due to most people being at their lowest levels of Vitamin D. The lack of this hormone/vitamin seems to have an awful lot to do with proper functioning of the immune system.