What Is Vitamin D And Why Do You Need It
Vitamin D is one of the 13 essential vitamins. However, vitamin D is unique in that your body is able to produce it from sun exposure. You have to consume all of the other vitamins through food or supplements your body cannot produce them on its own. Another unique trait of vitamin D is that before your body can use it, it must be converted into a hormone called calcitriol or activated vitamin D.
Vitamin D is one of the four fat-soluble vitamins, along with vitamins A, E, and K. These vitamins are absorbed better when consumed with high-fat foods, and they are stored in the liver and fatty tissue throughout the body.
While it has several functions, the most important role of vitamin D is to help your body absorb calcium from food passing through your small intestine and then regulate the amount of calcium and phosphorus in your bloodstream. The mineral calcium is crucial for strong, healthy bones, so without sufficient vitamin D, your bones will grow soft and weak. Vitamin D also helps your body maintain a strong immune system, and it plays a part in regulating cell growth and communication between cells.
Who Is At Risk
Vitamin D deficiency is more common than many people realize. Around 1 billion people worldwide are deficient in the nutrient. People who are at risk of vitamin deficiency include those who live in climates that dont get a lot of sun and people who eat a diet low in the nutrient, such as a vegan diet. At-risk patients can also include those who have health conditions that prevent proper nutrient absorption. Older patients and those with dark skin pigmentation are also in the high-risk group.
Which Type Of Vitamin D Should I Take
Most supplements contain vitamin D3, also known as cholecalciferol. Studies suggest that this increases blood levels a little better than vitamin D2 .
Both these versions of vitamin D require processing by the liver and kidneys. People with liver or kidney disease may need to get a special type of supplement from their doctors.
Although Vitamin D supplements are usually taken daily, they also come in higher doses, which may be prescribed for weekly or even monthly dosing.
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Large Doses Can Be Harmful Even Without Symptoms Of Toxicity
Large doses of vitamin D can be harmful, even though there may not be immediate symptoms of toxicity.
Vitamin D is very unlikely to cause severe symptoms of toxicity right away, and symptoms may take months or years to show up.
This is one reason why vitamin D toxicity is so difficult to detect.
There have been reports of people taking very large doses of vitamin D for months without symptoms, yet blood tests revealed severe hypercalcemia and symptoms of kidney failure .
The harmful effects of vitamin D are very complex. High doses of vitamin D can cause hypercalcemia without toxicity symptoms, but can also cause toxicity symptoms without hypercalcemia .
To be safe, do not exceed the 4,000 IU upper limit without consulting a doctor or dietitian.
Summary
Vitamin D toxicity usually develops over time, and the harmful effects are very complex. Large doses may cause damage, despite a lack of noticeable symptoms.
What Should Ones Vitamin D Level Be
This question has been hotly, hotly debated. At this time, it depends on whom you ask.
The Institute of Medicine believes a blood level of 20-40 ng/mL should be adequate. The Endocrine Society, the American Geriatrics Society, and some other expert groups recommend a level of at least 30 ng/mL.
As noted above, the party line which I consider reasonable is that most people dont need their vitamin D level checked. In the absence of certain health problems, a low vitamin D level is unlikely in someone who takes a daily supplement.
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Do I Need To Have My Vitamin D Blood Level Checked
Probably not. The AGS consensus statement says that testing vitamin D levels should be unnecessary in most older adults, unless some particular symptom or disease warrants it.
The idea is that if people take a daily vitamin D supplement as recommended above, theyll be highly unlikely to have a vitamin D level that is too low or too high.
On the other hand, if you have been diagnosed with a serious vitamin D deficiency, your doctor will likely recommend a higher dose of vitamin D supplementation. In this case, most experts recommend a repeat vitamin D blood test after 3-4 months of treatment. For most people, the test would be for the 25D level. People with certain conditions may require a different type of test.
I do end up checking vitamin D levels sometimes in my practice, because many of my patients have severe osteoporosis, or sometimes an abnormal blood calcium level.
I find that when I check vitamin D in an older patient who is not taking a supplement, they virtually always have a low level. Probably there are some elderly farmers out there who get enough sun to maintain a good level without taking a supplement. But it seems fairly common for older adults who dont take a supplement to have low levels.
What Are The Vitamin D Recommended Daily Allowances
Only 20% of our vitamin D is meant to come from our diet with the remaining 80% provided by our skin from UV-B exposure to the sun. There are currently two sets of guidelines for vitamin D intake. Typically, vitamin guidelines are established by the Institute of Medicine in the form of Recommended Dietary Allowances or adequate intakes . The RDA is the average daily intake sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all healthy individuals. These guidelines were set on a population model to prevent vitamin D deficiency based on bone health for the general population. The Endocrine Society put together a task force to review the research and came up with a set of guidelines based on a medical model for those at risk for a deficiency. The two recommendations are as follows:
| Infants | |
|---|---|
| 1,500-2,000 IU/day | 1,500-2,000 IU/day |
These amounts are based on what is needed to maintain the blood levels that each guideline committee has established as ideal. The higher the blood level that you need to maintain, the more vitamin D you will need to maintain that level. If your blood level is deficient, these are not the guidelines for you to follow. You will first need to get your levels up by taking vitamin D above these amounts and then you will follow these levels once you have reached your adequate level. Your health care provider can provide recommendations for a safe way to do this.
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How Many Milligrams Of Vitamin D Should I Take In One Day
The recommended dietary allowance for vitamin D is 15 micrograms or 600 international units for most adults under 70. Vitamin D supplements often contain much more than the RDA, with some products ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 IUs per dose. The National Institutes of Health recommends that people limit their daily vitamin D intake to no more than 4,000 IUs from food and supplements combined. Speak with your healthcare provider to determine the supplemental dose that is right for you.
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What Are The Effects Of Taking 50000 Iu Of Vitamin D Weekly
Forty-two percent of the American population doesn’t get enough vitamin D, reports the director of wellness at Mercy Medical Center, Stephanie Wheeler. This nutrient, crucial for bone health, immune function and controlling inflammation in the body, is found in foods and also synthesized by the body from exposure to sunlight. If you’re deficient, taking a âvitamin D supplementâ can help.
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Fifty-thousand IU per week is well above official recommendations proposed to avoid health risks. However, it’s often prescribed in this dosage to correct vitamin D deficiencies. But should you take this amount if you don’t have a deficiency? Recent research shows that it might not be harmful and could actually be helpful for the general population.
Tip
A weekly dosage of 50,000 IU of vitamin D is almost double the tolerable upper intake level. It may or may not pose health risks.
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How Often Can You Take Vitamin D Over The Counter
The vitamin, which is essential for calcium absorption in the body, is available over the counter in quantities ranging from 600 international units to 2,000 IU. Some doctors are recommending 50,000 IU of vitamin D once a week for six to eight weeks to those who have a severe vitamin D deficit proven by blood testing. Other experts say that this dose is too high and could cause problems such as bone damage.
The recommended daily allowance of vitamin D is 20 ng/ml. The only way to know if you’re getting enough vitamin D is through blood tests. Most healthy adults should be able to manufacture some degree of protection against disease with levels as low as 12 ng/ml or less. Those who need more may require levels as high as 30 ng/ml or more.
Vitamin D is found in few foods including fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and mackerel fortified milk and cheese and eggs from chickens fed vitamin D-rich food or oil supplements. You can also get vitamin D from sunlight exposure, but only when the sun’s rays are strong. The best time of year to get sunlight exposure is between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., when the sun’s rays are at their strongest.
Those living in northern climates will need to supplement their diets with vitamin D to meet their needs.
About Article Author
Cholecalciferol Improves Myelination And Recovery After Nerve Injury
PLoS-ONE Jean-Francois Chabas, Delphine Stephan, Tanguy Marqueste, Stephane Garcia, Marie-Noelle Lavaut, Catherine Nguyen, Regis Legre, Michel Khrestchatisky, Patrick Decherchi equal contributor mail, Francois Feron equal contributor mail
Previously, we demonstrated i) that ergocalciferol increases axon diameter and potentiates nerve regeneration in a rat model of transected peripheral nerve and ii) that cholecalciferol improves breathing and hyper-reflexia in a rat model of paraplegia. However, before bringing this molecule to the clinic, it was of prime importance i) to assess which form ergocalciferol versus cholecalciferol and which dose were the most efficient and ii) to identify the molecular pathways activated by this pleiotropic molecule.
We also demonstrated that cholecalciferol increases
- i) the number of preserved or newly formed axons in the proximal end,
- ii) the mean axon diameter in the distal end, and
- iii) neurite myelination in both distal and proximal ends.
Finally, we found a modified expression of several genes involved in axogenesis and myelination, after 24 hours of vitamin supplementation.Our study is the first to demonstrate that vitamin D acts on myelination via the activation of several myelin-associated genes.It paves the way for future randomised controlled clinical trials for peripheral nerve or spinal cord repair.
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Testing Is Important With Any Dose Of Vitamin D
To be sure you are achieving your target vitamin D level , measure your level with the GrassrootsHealth home blood spot test kit. It is easy and convenient, and can help you determine what dose of vitamin D is best for you. Make sure you know your vitamin D level, and take steps to keep it within a target of 40-60 ng/ml or 100-150 nmol/L!
Through GrassrootsHealth Nutrient Research Institute, you can also test your essential elements magnesium, copper, zinc and selenium, toxins such as lead, mercury and cadmium, as well as your omega-3 levels, inflammation levels and thyroid stimulating hormone level. Find out your levels today! Log on to the test selection page to get your tests and see for yourself if your levels can be improved.
Make sure you track your results before and after, about every 6 months!
What Is Vitamin D And How Does It Work
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin indicated for use in the treatment of hypoparathyroidism, refractoryrickets, also known as vitamin D resistant rickets, and familialhypophosphatemia.
- Vitamin D is available under the following different brand names: Drisdol, Calciferol, cholecalciferol, 1,25-Dihydroxycholecalciferol, and ergocalciferol.
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Mucho Mas Informacion Relacionada Con Los Beneficios De La Vitamina D Para El Cuerpo
Alimentos que contienen vitamina D, vista superiorFuentes alimenticias de vitamina DLa luz del sol es la fuente más común y eficiente de vitamina D. Las fuentes alimenticias mucho más ricas en vitamina D son el aceite de pescado y el pescado azul. A continuación , una lista de alimentos que poseen buenos niveles de vitamina D:
aceite de hígado de bacalao, 1 cucharada: 1360 UIarenque, fresco, crudo, 4 onzas: 1.056 UIpez espada, cocido, 4 onzas: 941 UIsetas maitake, crudas, 1 taza: 786 UIsalmón rojo , cocido, 4 oz: 596 IUsardinas en lata, 4 onzas: 336 UIleche desnatada, enriquecida, 1 taza: 120 UIatún, enlatado en agua, escurrido, 3 oz: 68 UIhuevo, gallina, tamaño del huevo: 44 UI
Casi seguro puedes Adquirir tus Suplementos de Vitamina D al dar clic en el siguiente links
Other Potential Negative Effects
But toxicity may not be the only thing to worry about. Even at lower intakes, as low as 30 to 48 ng/ml, the NIH reports potential risks including increased all-cause mortality, greater risk of some cancers, such as of the pancreas, increased risk of cardiovascular events, and a higher incidence of falls and fractures among the elderly.
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What Are Dosages Of Vitamin D
Dosages of Vitamin D Should Be Given As Follows:
Adult and Pediatric Dosage Forms & Strengths
1 mcg = 40 international units
Oral Solution
- Vitamin D toxicity may last 2 months or more after therapy is discontinued.
- Adequate clinical response to vitamin D therapy is dependent on adequate dietary calcium.
- In patients with rickets, the range between therapeutic and toxic doses is narrow in vitamin Dresistant patients adjust dose based on clinical response to avoid toxicity.
Vitamin D as Nutritional Supplementation
- 19-70 years: 600 IU /day
- Pregnant or lactating women: 600 IU /day
Vitamin D as Nutritional Supplementation
- Recommended daily allowance
- 19-70 years: 600 IU /day
- Pregnant or lactating women: 600 IU /day
Vitamin D to Prevent and Treat Osteoporosis
- > 50 years: 800-1000 IU PO once daily with calcium supplements
Vitamin D to Prevent and Treat Hypoparathyroidism
- 50,000-200,000 IU PO once daily with calcium supplements
Vitamin D to Prevent and Treat Vitamin D-Resistant Rickets
- 12,000-500,000 IU PO once daily
Vitamin D to Prevent and Treat Familial Hypophosphatemia
- 10,000-60,000 IU PO once daily with phosphate supplements
How Much Vitamin D Is Considered Safe
The Institute of Medicine has set their recommended daily allowance of vitamin D at 600 IU, their upper intake level at 4,000 IU, and their no adverse effects level at 10,000 IU per day. A review published by Hathcock et al., found that no toxicity was observed in individuals with vitamin D levels below 200 ng/ml, and no toxicity was observed in studies reporting a daily vitamin D intake below 30,000 IU. You may also keep in mind that the skin has the ability to make an estimated 10,000 to 25,000 IU of vitamin D per day when exposed to sunlight in mid-day.
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Which Drugs Or Supplements Interact With Vitamin D
Vitamin D should be used with caution with mineral oil because mineral oil slows down the absorption of Vitamin D and reduces its therapeutic benefits.
Thiazide diuretics like hydrochlorothiazide and chlorthalidone should be used with caution in people with hypoparathyroid taking Vitamin D, because thiamine diuretics may increase calcium levels.
Avoid Side Effects With Cofactors
In addition, the other thing that you should know about taking Vitamin D 50 000 IU that your doctor will not tell you is that you absolutely need to be aware of the common problem of needing more Vitamin A, Vitamin K and magnesium when you take vitamin D. Reading the page on Magnesium and Vitamin D will be of particular importance before taking a regimen of 50,000 IU’s of Vitamin D -and failure to be sufficient in these vitamin d ‘cofactors’ or failure to heed this warning about the need to be sufficient in vitamin d cofactors can cause a VARIETY of problems that people experience as Vitamin D Side Effects such as:
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How Much Vitamin D Is Too Much
Since relatively little is known about how vitamin D toxicity works, its hard to define an exact threshold for safe or toxic vitamin D intake .
According to the National Academy of Medicine, formerly known as the Institute of Medicine, 4,000 IU is the safe upper level of daily vitamin D intake. However, doses up to 10,000 IU have not been shown to cause toxicity in healthy individuals (
28 ).
Hypercalcemia caused by regularly taking high amounts of vitamin D supplements may take a few months to resolve. This is because vitamin D accumulates in body fat and is released into the blood slowly .
Treating vitamin D intoxication includes avoiding sun exposure and eliminating all dietary and supplemental vitamin D.
A doctor may also correct your calcium levels with increased salt and fluids, often by intravenous saline.
Summary
The main consequence of vitamin D toxicity is hypercalcemia, with symptoms including nausea, vomiting, weakness, and kidney failure. Treatment involves limiting all vitamin D intake and sun exposure.
