Truth about Vitamin D

Healthy Food Nutrition
#21

Hi Lotusgirl and fellow Vitamin D users,
Thanks for your reply. When I mentioned ‘heat’, it was for the purpose of making me feel warm enough to go outside without a shirt on, I wasn’t implying that heat supplies ‘D’.
In regards to not getting Vitamin D from the sun in the winter, I suspect we still get some (albeit less and little) and probably get many other unknown health benefits that aren’t yet discovered by so-called modern laboratories(culturally or capitalistically biased). When I did my bike ride on snowy roads today I removed my hat to allow my bald scalp to bask in free rays. My level was checked about 2 years ago and it was fine so I suspect it happens somewhere for me that 'modern laboratories don’t mention, I also doubt I have any para-organ problem happening too.

I mentioned raw foods not to imply they have Vitamin D in them, but because most of the worries that a deficiency would cause are of less concern to me on my diet. For example, if a ‘D’ deficiency causes a higher incidence of osteo problems, my diet and activity tend to reduce those problems, (my bone density is fine, and I am quite an athletic 61 yr old). If ‘D’ deficiency causes a higher likelihood of cancer I am not concerned because raw foods tends to lower likelihoods of cancer, actually most males in my family all died before my age of 61 from cancer or heart disease, I’ve got a clean bill of health in those areas, etc.

In your case, it sounds like the Vitamin D supplement you choose will work fine for you. Can I ask you if you usually took a multi-vitamin prior to your low ‘D’ test? I ask because I still stubbornly suspect that any multivitamin would of worked for most folks.

P.S. I love Kale in smoothies and salads. Jennifer Cornbleet has a ‘youtube’ video of making a really good Kale salad. Although, when you mentioned Kale I thought of Kelp because I heard that might have ‘D’, although I’m not too interested in Kelp, at least not yet, who knows.
Best wishes, Gil

#22

@Gil,

Thanks for your reply. When I mentioned ‘heat’, it was for the purpose of making me feel warm enough to go outside without a shirt on, I wasn’t implying that heat supplies ‘D’.

I see! Nice trick!

I mentioned raw foods not to imply they have Vitamin D in them, but because most of the worries that a deficiency would cause are of less concern to me on my diet. For example, if a ‘D’ deficiency causes a higher incidence of osteo problems, my diet and activity tend to reduce those problems, (my bone density is fine, and I am quite an athletic 61 yr old). If ‘D’ deficiency causes a higher likelihood of cancer I am not concerned because raw foods tends to lower likelihoods of cancer, actually most males in my family all died before my age of 61 from cancer or heart disease, I’ve got a clean bill of health in those areas, etc.

Good points.

And I must try the Kale in smoothies. Not much for raw kale I must admit.

#23

Had my blood drawn for re-test of my D levels. Keep your fingers crossed its good news.

And I’ve been reading pro’s and cons regarding soy and will post what I came up tomorrow when I also get my results.

#24

Vitamin D from supplements, or even foods, might be not that healthy. It can overprocess calcium.

How much vitamin D can you take from supplements ? They say basically around 2,000 IU
is safe, with two pills of 1,000 IU each.

Just 15 min to sun exposure gives you 3,000-20,000 IU of vitamin D, totally harmless to the body.

Mother nature knows better.

#25

Here it is a report about it:

http://www.sunshinevitamin.org/

#26

@Oak,

Thank you for the sharing the link!

Yes, mother nature knows best and it is best to get your D from natural sunlight, but during the winter months, I live in Ohio, the rays are not strong enough so you need to supplement. I have also included the HappyLight full spectrum light in my daily routine. Results due in today, so we’ll see what my #'s are.

#27

http://www.johnrobbins.info/blog/what-about-soy/

Found the above link and he provides what I consider one of the most unbiased views. Lots of good info and good explanation of claims on both sides.

As far as Dr. Mercola goes, there is much controversy with his views. The FDA in 2005 and 2006 warned him about making unsubstantiated claims regarding products that he sells.

many of the studies on soy used animals that don’t and can’t use soy as we do. And they are given astronomically high doses of soy, which a human could never consume.

I’ve read unfermented soy, ie. soy milk, cheese and burgers are a no-no.
But fermented soy, i.e. tempeh, soy sauce is OK.

Also: http://http://www.vegfamily.com/health/vegan-soy-information.htm

gives quite a bit of good info albeit a Vegan website.

So how do I feel after reading some of the pros and cons? Right in the middle. Too much of a good thing can be bad. The truth lies somewhere in between and we may not know the REAL truth for many years. Until then, I will continue with including the small amount of soy in my diet and making sure it is not GMO (which I did check and all that I buy are not GMO).

Haven’t heard anything yet on my lab results.

#28

[QUOTE=lotusgirl;53164]http://www.johnrobbins.info/blog/what-about-soy/

Found the above link and he provides what I consider one of the most unbiased views. Lots of good info and good explanation of claims on both sides.

As far as Dr. Mercola goes, there is much controversy with his views. The FDA in 2005 and 2006 warned him about making unsubstantiated claims regarding products that he sells.

many of the studies on soy used animals that don’t and can’t use soy as we do. And they are given astronomically high doses of soy, which a human could never consume.

I’ve read unfermented soy, ie. soy milk, cheese and burgers are a no-no.
But fermented soy, i.e. tempeh, soy sauce is OK.

Also: http://http://www.vegfamily.com/health/vegan-soy-information.htm

gives quite a bit of good info albeit a Vegan website.

So how do I feel after reading some of the pros and cons? Right in the middle. Too much of a good thing can be bad. The truth lies somewhere in between and we may not know the REAL truth for many years. Until then, I will continue with including the small amount of soy in my diet and making sure it is not GMO (which I did check and all that I buy are not GMO).

Haven’t heard anything yet on my lab results.[/QUOTE]

I view mercola as being a little out there. Yes he’s selling staff. Some of the comments from the people on there come fromt the conspiracy theory illuminati crowd. But that said . . . there is good information coming out of that camp.

#29

Another vitamin which is of great value is vitaminC. Dr. Linus Pauling attributed his great health to megadoses of vitamin C, up to 10 grams a day.

15 % of the vitamin C intake is eliminated by the body, cca 65 % goes into the blood stream and the rest (in the intestine) forms other substances, some of them more useful than vitamin C itself.

http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/vitamin-c.htm

#30

[QUOTE=lotusgirl;53156]@Oak,

Thank you for the sharing the link!

Yes, mother nature knows best and it is best to get your D from natural sunlight, but during the winter months, I live in Ohio, the rays are not strong enough so you need to supplement. I have also included the HappyLight full spectrum light in my daily routine. Results due in today, so we’ll see what my #'s are.[/QUOTE]

I live in Canada, where there is less sun than in Ohio, USA.

Only in Cuba over 600,000 Canadians go every year. If you add the other
warm countries (I have no statistics !) you could reach millions and millions of Canadians going to the sun every year.

In Canada there is even a SnowBirds association, with over 400,000 people.
These are people which leave Canada in October and come back in April.
Obviously, most of them are retired people. Most of them go to Florida.

#31

Same here in Ohio! In fact I just returned from Perdido Key Florida where I stayed with my snowbird friend! Unfortunately, there wasn’t much sun and it rained a lot. But still warmer than here.

Canadians, migrating south. A sight to behold!

#32

[QUOTE=lotusgirl;53186]Same here in Ohio! In fact I just returned from Perdido Key Florida where I stayed with my snowbird friend! Unfortunately, there wasn’t much sun and it rained a lot. But still warmer than here.

Canadians, migrating south. A sight to behold![/QUOTE]

Yes, Canadians are migrating south, not north. LOL.

#33

Well, just got the call about my labs. My D came in at 30, which is the low end of normal. but it is at least normal. He wants me to continue with my D2 Prescription, so I asked his assistant to check with him if I could just take 2- 2,000 I.U.'s of D3 daily instead based on my research. She had no idea the difference between the two! So, I’ll finish up my RX and then just start on over the counter D3. He will recheck my level in 6 months.

So there you have it! Thanks everyone for contributing to this thread. And if you come across any new research on D, please share it here!

Shanti

#34

Try a form of ketchup on eggs or Try eggs texmex style. Overmedium egg, multi-grain steamed tortilla and veganize the menudo. You dip the tortilla in the yolk, then dip it in your warm tomato stew, veggie broth. I’ve lost 35 pounds converting the local fare into something into lowfat, and Yoga friendly:)

#35

[QUOTE=lotusgirl;52087]Greetings all!

I was recently diagnosed with severe Vitamin D deficiency. My level was 16 and should be between 30-80. I found this interesting as I am also a master gardener and am out in the sun (minus sunscreen) every day. I go outside for periods of 20-30 minutes at a time. I repeat this cycle throughout the day during Spring, Summer and Fall. I try to refrain from showering every day, except for those days where I do a lot of “dirty work” out in the yard, as I know your skin needs the oil to assimilate D. My Doctor immediately put me on RX Vitamin D, 50,000I.U. I take it once a week for 3 months. After 2 months, which is next week, he wants my levels rechecked.

Here is my question. After doing quite a bit of research on D, I have found that RX D is D2. D3 (human based) is naturally more easily assimilated while D2(plant/synthetic) is not. D2 should be toxic taken at the higher dosage, like me, but it is not. Why? The body can’t assimilate it. Case study after study has shown that Vitamin D2 (RX D) will elevate your level of D, but only in the short term. These studies have also shown that Vitamin D3 therapy will not only elevate your level but will sustain it in the long term. D2 is not very bioavailable, meaning short duration and poor stability. The GI tract is incapable of absorbing and the kidney’s can’t convert D to its active form. (D is fat soluble) Unlike D2, D3 is readily absorbed. In Vitamin D deficiency, the parathyroid becomes overactive, altering calcium metabolism. When replenished, it goes back to normal levels. This is not the case with Vitamin D2. In the Journal of Endocrinologist and Metabolism, they also show the same results in a recent study of D2 and D3. They state D2 and D3 are not one in the same. So, back to my question. Why are Doctors prescribing D2 for patients with Vitamin D deficiency? If D3 is readily absorbed and sustained, why would a Doctor prescribe the form of D that is not readily absorbed and sustained? I have no doubt it is the mighty pharmaceutical companies. So yogini’s, what are your thoughts or experiences with Vitamin D a/o Vitamin D deficiency?

When my Doctor phones me with the results of my lab work, I will discuss this with him. Fortunately, he is very open to alternative therapies. If my levels are well within the normal range, I will ask him about taking Vitamin D3 as a supplement at a higher dosage for maintenance of my levels. If my levels are still low, Biotech has D3 in 50,000I.U.'s, and I will ask him if I can try this instead.

Part of the overall problem here is there are few foods rich in vitamin D. This is especially problematic in Vegans and Vegetarians. Foods that are rich in D include, eggs (the yolk has 25 I.U), cod liver oil, liver and salmon. So you can see the difficulty in getting the recommended amount.

One final thought. Check your milk. Make sure it is Vitamin D3 enriched. Many are D2. Horizon Organic milk is D3 fortified. Silk and Almond Breeze are D2 fortified. And not only your milk, but all foods that are labeled D fortified.

I was honestly horrified at what I uncovered about all this. Thoughts?[/QUOTE]

I’m glad you brought this up. Vitamins of D group are toxic. All fat soluble vitamins are very toxic and body store them and they are needed in very small quantities.

If I were you I would try to get it from food and try the test in few month.

I favor the theory that supplement vitamins are harmful.

#36

This is correct, CityMonk, IF you are unable to breakdown fats. All of the recent research has shown it takes an enormous amount of D taken over a long period of time for it to be considered toxic.

You cannot get enough D from food. Period. It is only found in fatty fish, liver, some cheese and some others I can’t recall right now. This is especially problematic for vegetarians/vegans. I wish I could just eat my way to good health and proper D levels. But there are times when you do need supplements. I use to take a great deal of supplements, but recently stopped all be my vegetarian multi, RX D, chia seed oil. Much of your food is D fortified. But as I mentioned earlier, you need to check which D. If it’s D2, it is synthetic and not bioavalable. It needs to be D3. So check your labels CityMonk. You think you’re not taking supplements, but if you eat food that is fortified, well, you are! Balance is what is needed. I do agree that the majority of your vitamins and minerals should come from food. But for many, it is impossible.

CintyMonk, you are still quite young. But when you get to my age (52) there are many things that are of concern. An example would be osteoporosis. If your D level remains low, you are at a much greater risk of developing this. Not to mention Cancer, heart disease and others. D is vitally important for our health. So I support the current research that states taking D3 at 2,000 I.U.'s per day is necessary. And I will be doing this as soon as I finish my RX D2.

#37

[QUOTE=lotusgirl;53532]This is correct, CityMonk, IF you are unable to breakdown fats. All of the recent research has shown it takes an enormous amount of D taken over a long period of time for it to be considered toxic.

You cannot get enough D from food. Period. It is only found in fatty fish, liver, some cheese and some others I can’t recall right now. This is especially problematic for vegetarians/vegans. I wish I could just eat my way to good health and proper D levels. But there are times when you do need supplements. I use to take a great deal of supplements, but recently stopped all be my vegetarian multi, RX D, chia seed oil. Much of your food is D fortified. But as I mentioned earlier, you need to check which D. If it’s D2, it is synthetic and not bioavalable. It needs to be D3. So check your labels CityMonk. You think you’re not taking supplements, but if you eat food that is fortified, well, you are! Balance is what is needed. I do agree that the majority of your vitamins and minerals should come from food. But for many, it is impossible.

CintyMonk, you are still quite young. But when you get to my age (52) there are many things that are of concern. An example would be osteoporosis. If your D level remains low, you are at a much greater risk of developing this. Not to mention Cancer, heart disease and others. D is vitally important for our health. So I support the current research that states taking D3 at 2,000 I.U.'s per day is necessary. And I will be doing this as soon as I finish my RX D2.[/QUOTE]

yep, the age make a difference…

have you tried to figure out why your body does not synthesizes this vitamin?maybe you need some other thing to take to stimulate your system to make vitamin D? thyroid? calcium? I usually refer to Wikipedia for detail on everything.

My client had low progesterone and had a problem to get pregnant. of course the obgyn prescribed synthetic hormone. she did not want to take hormone. she was a vegetarian and one of the major component of progesterone is animal fat. so she had to give up on vegetarianism. and we also include in her diet a lot of yam root, sweet potato and walnuts which are natural progesterone boosters. and of course meditation.
she is pregnant now and her hormones are fine, doctor scratching his head…

the body is complex and if there is deficiency in something maybe we need to do more research before just simply fill body with supplement.

This is just my experience and my opinion, but I got it from reliable sources and researchers.

#38

If my level did not come to within normal range, I would have been sent to an endocrinologist for further testing, with inability to metabolize fats being the possible diagnosis. But seeing that my level is normal, albeit low normal, my liver must be able to metabolize fats.

Curious is that my calcium level was good. All I know is over 50% of Americans are deficient in D. Because of pollution and sunscreen usage, we are not absorbing D.

We shall see in the coming months and in particular the late fall winter if my level remains normal. I see the doctor again in 4 months. I will be getting a bone density scan next month which will be telling.

Thanks CityMonk for your suggestions and input!

#39

Thank you LotusGirl for this post! It was very informative. I am not a heavy milk drinker (drink less than 36 oz a week) so it is very helpful to know that there are other ways to get vitimin D without the milk. I think I will also do further research on this!
Thanks again for bringing up the topic.
Namaste,
TeeA

#40

Real quick.
I found this link with a list from the USDA of foods that contain D as well as the amounts. It does not specify which kind however.
http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/12354500/Data/SR23/nutrlist/sr23w324.pdf

It is also pretty extensive but only pages 1-4 have actual values.