171 replies to this topic

[OneScrewLoose]

After testing @ 45ng/dl for 2000IU I recently bought 5000IU bottle, but this thread had me a little worried about such a high dose. So I am wondering a few things.

How much do you guys take?

What is the synergy between D and Vit K?

What else do you take with D and why?

Discuss.

Edited by OneScrewLoose, 26 March 2009 - 06:55 AM.

[neogenic]

After testing @ 45ng/dl for 2000IU I recently bought 5000IU bottle, but this thread had me a little worried about such a high dose. So I am wondering a few things.

How much do you guys take?

What is the synergy between D and Vit K?

What else do you take with D and why?

Discuss.

I average 7500. I take 5000IU one day and 10,000 the next. From the research and anecdotal feedback/research on blood levels here that seemed to be solid dosing. Plus, I like the fat loss/inhibition of fat gain I've seen at higher doses.

[shaggy]

After testing @ 45ng/dl for 2000IU I recently bought 5000IU bottle, but this thread had me a little worried about such a high dose. So I am wondering a few things.

How much do you guys take?

What is the synergy between D and Vit K?

What else do you take with D and why?

Discuss.

Plus, I like the fat loss/inhibition of fat gain I've seen at higher doses.

Fat loss from Vitamin D3? How does it achieve that?

[kismet]

After testing @ 45ng/dl for 2000IU I recently bought 5000IU bottle, but this thread had me a little worried about such a high dose. So I am wondering a few things.

Please, don't screw up, yourl levels are/were perfect @2000IU. 

I'm taking 2k IU to get @45ng/ml. Mostly because of the NHANES III results on mortality (but I've also reviewed a lot of other vitamin D studies). Furthermore improved bone quality and performance at levels up to 50ng/ml are another reason I aim for ~45ng/ml (the 5ng/ml are my safety margin).

Fat loss from Vitamin D3? How does it achieve that?

I don't think it does. A very recent interventional trial using highish doses of vitamin D found no difference, but I haven't looked for other trials on its effects on adipose tissue.

Edited by kismet, 26 March 2009 - 01:20 PM.

[Matt]

5000IU per day, and rarely get much sun exposure.

I recommend you watch this video

Edited by Matt, 26 March 2009 - 01:22 PM.

[pycnogenol]

I take 2,500 IU twice daily for a total of 5,000 IU of vitamin D-3; I take it mainly for mood enhancement. I'm currently at 46 ng/mL at this amount.

[Dmitri]

After testing @ 45ng/dl for 2000IU I recently bought 5000IU bottle, but this thread had me a little worried about such a high dose. So I am wondering a few things.

How much do you guys take?

What is the synergy between D and Vit K?

What else do you take with D and why?

Discuss.

I take 2,000 IU and 400 IU which is included in my K2 supplement (plus 100 IU of D2 from Rice Milk). I take that amount because I read on msn that doctors believe 2,000 IU is a safe dosage. Also, I'm young so my body can absorb D quite easily, it isn't until you reach 40 when it becomes diffifcult.

[Johan]

I take 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily, and I get about 250 IU from food sources (mainly mackerel or other fatty fish).

[yucca06]

Hu...

I take (took) 4000iu for 6 months (since october 08), and get my blood tested yesterday.

results : 149,2 nmol/l !!!

So I will stop. I think my natural levels were high enough. My wife who doesn't take any, has 112 nmol/l...

Calcium levels are totally in the norm for both, so I don't really care. But I think I didn't need any supplementation with vit. D.

[OneScrewLoose]

Hu...

I take (took) 4000iu for 6 months (since october 08), and get my blood tested yesterday.

results : 149,2 nmol/l !!!

So I will stop. I think my natural levels were high enough. My wife who doesn't take any, has 112 nmol/l...

Calcium levels are totally in the norm for both, so I don't really care. But I think I didn't need any supplementation with vit. D.

nmol/l does not equal ng/dl. Anyone wanna do the conversion?

[kismet]

nmol/l does not equal ng/dl. Anyone wanna do the conversion?

What did you expect yucca, 4k IU is a lot. 
Conversion factor is 2.45 IIRC (or rounded to 2.5), you're at 60ng/ml, cut your intake in half and your levels will get to the optimal range 40-50ng/ml (going by NHANES III data).
112 nmol/l in late winter - early spring? South or north of France? Sun exposure? This is highly unlikely.

Edited by kismet, 26 March 2009 - 08:12 PM.

[yucca06]

Hu...

I take (took) 4000iu for 6 months (since october 08), and get my blood tested yesterday.

results : 149,2 nmol/l !!!

So I will stop. I think my natural levels were high enough. My wife who doesn't take any, has 112 nmol/l...

Calcium levels are totally in the norm for both, so I don't really care. But I think I didn't need any supplementation with vit. D.

nmol/l does not equal ng/dl. Anyone wanna do the conversion?

it's about 2,5 x

So ng x 2,5 = nmol.

149nmol/l is about 2,5 less in ng : about 59,6 ng/dl. High levels...

43 years old, NO dairy products at all (ovo-vegan I'll say), NO exposure to sun for 6 months (but I usually get exposed every week or so from april to september : I live in the south of France)

edit @ Kismet : you were faster than me to do the math

Edited by yucca06, 26 March 2009 - 08:19 PM.

[spacetime]

2000IUs/day only got me to 52ng/mL from low 40s, so I bumped it to 5000IU. Also been wearing sunscreen more consistently hence the bump. I am worried about calcification issues associated with vit d3 so I've started taking mk-7 in addition to the k1 from a multi.

[david ellis]

2000IUs/day only got me to 52ng/mL from low 40s, so I bumped it to 5000IU. Also been wearing sunscreen more consistently hence the bump. I am worried about calcification issues associated with vit d3 so I've started taking mk-7 in addition to the k1 from a multi.

K2(MK7) is a good idea, and K2 from calf or chicken liver, bone marrow, cheese and butter from grass fed animals is maybe better.

Dr Hollick(DukeNukem's video on another Vit D thread and Dr Heaney(Matt's video on this thread) don't worry about calcification for the normal reference blood. The reason is the increase in calcium uptake levels off after reaching about 49 ng/mL. Dr Heaney's video is longer, but as informative as Dr Hollick's.

Krillin has a chart with a U shaped mortality curve. That chart makes 49 ng/mL a good choice for a target level of vitamin D25(0H). The curve is a U, not a J. It would be a J if the increase of calcium uptake did not level off at 49 ng/mL. A good target because if there are benefits above 49 ng/mL why don't they show up in Krillin's chart?

Vitamin D intoxication requires multiples of the level that lifeguards receive. Most cases known are when big mistakes are made in manufacturing Vitamin D pills.

Edited by david ellis, 28 March 2009 - 07:50 PM.

[HOTCells]

Winter- 4,000IU - No sun, tons of rain.. Northern Cali
Spring 4,000 IU - same reason as winter
Summer- 1,000 IU - Get plenty of sun, but my MK2 also has 1,000 IU's of D3.
Fall- 2,000 IU

[stephen_b]

cheese and butter from grass fed animals is maybe better

If only the people who made the high vitamin butter oil (like Green Pasture's brand) would actually have it tested for K2-MK4 levels.

StephenB

[CobaltThoriumG]

What about pastured or grass-fed cream instead of butter and cheese? Is that a comparable source of K2? If not, why not?

[stephen_b]

What about pastured or grass-fed cream instead of butter and cheese? Is that a comparable source of K2? If not, why not?

It just hasn't been measured. Why not? Some possibilities come to mind:

• the producers don't want the added expense of testing and ensuring a minimum level of k2
• the producers find it better to state simply that it contains factor X, which relieves them of any burden of controlling their manufacturing process since no one knows what that is anyway
• quinone content is more important than a K2-MK4 level measurement, so let's not waste time testing for k2 levels

Of course, none of the above would stop a motivated individual from getting the testing done by a testing house.

StephenB

Edited by stephen_b, 12 April 2009 - 06:56 PM.

[pycnogenol]

I take 2,500 IU twice daily for a total of 5,000 IU of vitamin D-3; I take it mainly for mood enhancement. I'm currently at 46 ng/mL at this amount.

I'm upping it from 5,000 IU to 6,000 IU until the end of July (yes -- with my doctors permission!) to get my liver enzymes lowered down to the normal range. They have already come down but there is still work to do.

John Cannell of the The Vitamin D Council sent me a study on vitamin D and liver enzymes.

PubMed:

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/16928437

Edited by pycnogenol, 13 April 2009 - 12:31 AM.

[desperate788]

I take 2,500 IU twice daily for a total of 5,000 IU of vitamin D-3; I take it mainly for mood enhancement. I'm currently at 46 ng/mL at this amount.

I'm upping it from 5,000 IU to 6,000 IU until the end of July (yes -- with my doctors permission!) to get my liver enzymes lowered down to the normal range. They have already come down but there is still work to do.

John Cannell of the The Vitamin D Council sent me a study on vitamin D and liver enzymes.

PubMed:

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/16928437

cod liver oil as a good vitamin d source?

[pycnogenol]

I take 2,500 IU twice daily for a total of 5,000 IU of vitamin D-3; I take it mainly for mood enhancement. I'm currently at 46 ng/mL at this amount.

I'm upping it from 5,000 IU to 6,000 IU until the end of July (yes -- with my doctors permission!) to get my liver enzymes lowered down to the normal range. They have already come down but there is still work to do.

John Cannell of the The Vitamin D Council sent me a study on vitamin D and liver enzymes.

PubMed:

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/16928437

cod liver oil as a good vitamin d source?

Why are you asking me? I don't take cod liver oil. Never have.

Edited by pycnogenol, 16 April 2009 - 12:32 AM.

[StrangeAeons]

5000IU, with LEF's Super K (generous helpings of both MK-4 and MK-7). I usually also take it with my multi, but I've been a little iffy on that lately.

Logic: D25(OH) tested at 19ng/dL. That test was drawn a few days after I got back from a vacation in sunny Miami Beach. Strongly suspect malabsorption (owing to other deficiencies) and I will continue to get my labs checked.

I'm 23 so I'm glad they caught it early, I wonder what would have happened to me in my 50's or so if I just lived my whole life with levels that low.

[niner]

5000IU, with LEF's Super K (generous helpings of both MK-4 and MK-7). I usually also take it with my multi, but I've been a little iffy on that lately.

Logic: D25(OH) tested at 19ng/dL. That test was drawn a few days after I got back from a vacation in sunny Miami Beach. Strongly suspect malabsorption (owing to other deficiencies) and I will continue to get my labs checked.

I'm 23 so I'm glad they caught it early, I wonder what would have happened to me in my 50's or so if I just lived my whole life with levels that low.

Glad you caught it. I suspect that I had fairly low D levels for a long time, on the basis of avoidance of both sun and milk. Around the age of 51 (last year) I discovered that I was osteopenic. I've been meaning to get a heart scan for a while now, but haven't yet done it. I may not like what I find. At any rate, I might be a test case for what would have happened, but I never had a D level until after I started supplementing, at which point it was a quite respectable 46 ng/mL. I've been under a "competent" doctor's care for many years. I wonder how long until never getting a D level is considered malpractice? (In another month or so I'll be getting another DEXA scan to determine how well my extensive bone health plan of the past year is working out.)

[nancyd]

5000IU, with LEF's Super K (generous helpings of both MK-4 and MK-7). I usually also take it with my multi, but I've been a little iffy on that lately.

Logic: D25(OH) tested at 19ng/dL. That test was drawn a few days after I got back from a vacation in sunny Miami Beach. Strongly suspect malabsorption (owing to other deficiencies) and I will continue to get my labs checked.

I'm 23 so I'm glad they caught it early, I wonder what would have happened to me in my 50's or so if I just lived my whole life with levels that low.

Glad you caught it. I suspect that I had fairly low D levels for a long time, on the basis of avoidance of both sun and milk. Around the age of 51 (last year) I discovered that I was osteopenic. I've been meaning to get a heart scan for a while now, but haven't yet done it. I may not like what I find. At any rate, I might be a test case for what would have happened, but I never had a D level until after I started supplementing, at which point it was a quite respectable 46 ng/mL. I've been under a "competent" doctor's care for many years. I wonder how long until never getting a D level is considered malpractice? (In another month or so I'll be getting another DEXA scan to determine how well my extensive bone health plan of the past year is working out.)

I'm 36 and have worn sunscreen and/or avoided the sun for a lot of my years. I never took a D supplement. A few years ago I found out how important it is but didn't have insurance/money for a test. I started taking 1000IU D included in a calcium supplement. So I finally got the test a year ago and my number was 6. (I had to talk my doctor into giving me the test.) So I guess it has been that low most of my life. I got a hip x-ray to test for osteopena. One side of my hip had +.1 higher density than most of my peers and the other side had a -1 less than most peers. So I guess the deficiency hasn't caused damage or I wonder if it could still show up later. I'm supplementing with 5,000 IU after watching the video that was posted in this thread and taking Jarrows MK7 90mcg.


(Side question: Is a 1:1 ratio of A and D ok?)

Edited by nancyd, 16 April 2009 - 09:37 PM.

[Steve_86]

(Side question: Is a 1:1 ratio of A and D ok?)

The weakest Vitamin A supplement I can find is Solgar 5000IU. The tablets have no score and do not accuratly break in half, they just crumble. How are you guys supplementing ratios other than 1:1?

[torrential]

(Side question: Is a 1:1 ratio of A and D ok?)

The weakest Vitamin A supplement I can find is Solgar 5000IU. The tablets have no score and do not accuratly break in half, they just crumble. How are you guys supplementing ratios other than 1:1?

One way to manage the A to D ratio is to consider your intake over a period of time, say one week.

Also: Oil-based gelcaps are better than the dry forms of both A and D.

[niner]

(Side question: Is a 1:1 ratio of A and D ok?)

The weakest Vitamin A supplement I can find is Solgar 5000IU. The tablets have no score and do not accuratly break in half, they just crumble. How are you guys supplementing ratios other than 1:1?

One way to manage the A to D ratio is to consider your intake over a period of time, say one week.

Also: Oil-based gelcaps are better than the dry forms of both A and D.

Yes, that's a good observation. You have a huge amount of flexibility in dosing of D; I have a friend who takes 50,000 IU every two weeks. I'm getting about the same dose taking 3-4K/day. The pharmacokinetics of D is such that it hangs around in the body for a long time, so these regimens are very similar in effect. I haven't looked at A, but I suspect that it has a fairly long half life as well, so you could probably take it less often than daily, making it easy to hit whatever ratio you're looking for.

[nancyd]

(Side question: Is a 1:1 ratio of A and D ok?)

How are you guys supplementing ratios other than 1:1?

I decided to change my ratio to 2:1 because I know A should be higher than D. I've read it may even be ideal to have it 4 times higher which is obviously impossible when supplementing with a lot of D. Supposedly the exact ideal ratio is unknown. I'm taking Nature's Life Natural Marine Source 10,000IU 3x/week because my multi also has vitamin A.

Yes I agree with the previous post the gel capsules are much better. I believe my vitamin D test result was so low partially because I was taking D in powder form.

Edited by nancyd, 20 April 2009 - 09:18 PM.

[RoadToAwe]

 I'm taking Nature's Life Natural Marine Source 10,000IU 3x/week because my multi also has vitamin A.

What is your rationale behind taking 10,000 IU of Vitamin A? From what I gathered from most studies 1000-2000 IU/day seems to be the optimal Vitamin A dosage. I have not been able to find studies that suggest otherwise.

[nancyd]

I'm taking Nature's Life Natural Marine Source 10,000IU 3x/week because my multi also has vitamin A.

What is your rationale behind taking 10,000 IU of Vitamin A? From what I gathered from most studies 1000-2000 IU/day seems to be the optimal Vitamin A dosage. I have not been able to find studies that suggest otherwise.

I definitely want A to at least equal D but a higher ratio is better. I think 1000-2000IU would be ideal if D wasn't being supplemented in such a high amount. There are toxicity concerns so I may lower the dose.

Edited by nancyd, 21 April 2009 - 08:09 PM.