Vitamin D3 (how much)

L

lulu68

Cathlete
Hello,

I'm wondering if anyone knows how much vitamin D is safe to take per day? I've always been someone who avoids the sun at all cost and when I do go outside I'm constantly replying sun screen. During the winter months when I don't go out much at all I feel very down and feel like my eye bags get bad. I know I'm lacking in vitamin D but don't know how much I should take to stay in the safe zone. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
 
Hi Lulu,
I, too, am very deficient in Vitamin D.
The upwards limit is listed as approx 3,4000 IU/day. However, Vitamin D is a hormone and not really a vitamin, so any supplementation will be determined by
- what your levels are presently/when it was measured - your age and state of health (any fat absorption issues, autoimmune disease, past calcification issues, do you take blood pressure meds etc.) - the latitude of your residence - the shade of your skin and so on. I personally would not recommend going ahead with supplements until the need and particular amount is determined. That's just my opinion.
For now, I'd say get yourself some unscreened sun for 12-15 minutes a day after 12:15 pm (this long with not accelerate photoaging, skin cancer etc.) and include whole foods (more bioavailable Vitamin D) in your diet that either help with the absorption of Vitamin D (mushrooms, especially shitake) and ones that are rich in Vitamin D like ghee/clarified butter (if you are not veg. This is also rich in Vitamin K which will help absorb magnesium. Magnesium also helps with Vitamin D deficiencies. It is all connected. :)), egg yolks, dairy - especially cultured things like grass fed kefir, oily seafood like sardines. Some folks like to go ahead and take cod/halibut liver oil or krill oil as a whole food Vitamin D source. I would not recommend this as these substances are also very high in Vitamin A. Too much in a healthy individual without the need for Vitamin A supplementation will interfere with the absorption of other vital minerals (not advised for Vitamin D imbalances) and be too taxing on the liver.
I, myself, am considering trying transdermal Vitamin D as I am eating plenty & supplementing (by direction of an endo) and it is still a little low. It has only increased minutely as of late. In my case it is due to other autoimmune conditions in my body. Transdermal/topical magnesium has helped me quite a bit with sleep cycles, so I am thinking I may respond well to Vitamin D this way as well.

For winter mood disorders like SAD, there are some ladies here in the forums who have been doing quite well with special lamps. http://cathe.com/forum/threads/sad-light-therapy-box.301229/
 
Great question, Lulu68! From what I have read, found from discussions with a few pharmacists and found from my own experience, 1000 - 1200 IUs of Vitamin D3 per day works well for many adults. Most Vitamin D is sold in pills of 400IUs/pill. My pharmacist recommended that I take one pill with each meal (3x/day) for a total of 1200 units per day. I liked her recommendation of spreading my intake out over the day.Where I am post-menopausal and have a family history of osteoporosis, I take the Vitamin D together with a calcium supplement. The D helps with the absorption of the calcium.

The National Institute of Health recommends only 400 units per day for health adults, although many feel this is too low. They state that one should not exceed 4000 units per day.
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-Consumer/

In terms of mood and helping you feel less 'down', I wonder if Omega 3 and a good B complex would also help. My understanding is these two supplements can be helpful if taken over time.

Cathe has written almost a dozen blog articles on Vitamin D that you can search under the Fitness Tips link. Here is her most recent thoughts on the topic:
http://cathe.com/avoid-vitamin-d-deficiency-winter
 
You can get your vit d levels tested by your doctor. It is a simple blood test. I just had it done. I'm on the lower end of the healthy range so I take 2,000 iu of D3. But, what helped with my SAD more than D was a 30 mg zinc supplement. I had been weepy and suicidal after my right ovary was removed in surgery, but the zinc cleared that up in minutes.
 
I live in Montana so we don't get out in sunshine as much in the winter, I had a doctor tell me to take 1,000 iu in the summer and 2,000 iu in the winter. I take 2,000 iu year round and when my blood work is ran my Vitamin D levels are at mid-range so it works for me.

Cindy
 
~Elsie said:
Hi Lulu,
I, too, am very deficient in Vitamin D.
The upwards limit is listed as approx 3,4000 IU/day. However, Vitamin D is a hormone and not really a vitamin, so any supplementation will be determined by
- what your levels are presently/when it was measured - your age and state of health (any fat absorption issues, autoimmune disease, past calcification issues, do you take blood pressure meds etc.) - the latitude of your residence - the shade of your skin and so on. I personally would not recommend going ahead with supplements until the need and particular amount is determined. That's just my opinion.
For now, I'd say get yourself some unscreened sun for 12-15 minutes a day after 12:15 pm (this long with not accelerate photoaging, skin cancer etc.) and include whole foods (more bioavailable Vitamin D) in your diet that either help with the absorption of Vitamin D (mushrooms, especially shitake) and ones that are rich in Vitamin D like ghee/clarified butter (if you are not veg. This is also rich in Vitamin K which will help absorb magnesium. Magnesium also helps with Vitamin D deficiencies. It is all connected. :)), egg yolks, dairy - especially cultured things like grass fed kefir, oily seafood like sardines. Some folks like to go ahead and take cod/halibut liver oil or krill oil as a whole food Vitamin D source. I would not recommend this as these substances are also very high in Vitamin A. Too much in a healthy individual without the need for Vitamin A supplementation will interfere with the absorption of other vital minerals (not advised for Vitamin D imbalances) and be too taxing on the liver.
I, myself, am considering trying transdermal Vitamin D as I am eating plenty & supplementing (by direction of an endo) and it is still a little low. It has only increased minutely as of late. In my case it is due to other autoimmune conditions in my body. Transdermal/topical magnesium has helped me quite a bit with sleep cycles, so I am thinking I may respond well to Vitamin D this way as well. For winter mood disorders like SAD, there are some ladies here in the forums who have been doing quite well with special lamps. http://cathe.com/forum/threads/sad-light-therapy-box.301229/
Click to expand...


This is such great advice! Especially getting 10-15 minutes of sun around mid-day which is when the least damaging rays to skin are (contrary to what you are told). The most beneficial rays for Vitamin D sulfate production are UVB rays, and getting 10-12 minutes is enough to turn your skin warm and slightly pink and produce upwards to 20,000iu of sulfate. Don't take a shower either for a few hours, you will wash that sulfate away. Sounds preposterous, but you can physically wash a pro-hormone off your skin. Make an effort when you are outside to take your contacts or glasses off, wear a hat, and let your eyes get natural sunlight (of course without squinting or staring into the sun). Sunlight is the beginning of a very happy pituitary gland and what comes off of that is magic.

When I first asked for a Vitamin 25 OHD test I was an abysmal 19 (I live way up north) and probably 6 months out the year I'm covered up. I put into place most everything you have said, save the fact that I also supplement with MK-7 (K2) 100mcg per 2,000 iu of Vitamin D.

To simplify what overdosing on Vitamin D can do, it draws calcium into the blood stream, too much and the body doesn't know where to ferry the excess calcium (which is the root cause of most heart/artery disease and a whole other discussion on why I never supplement with calcium). The K2 (use an MK-7 version) directs calcium to where it should go, which is bones, teeth and away from soft tissue (lungs, heart, arteries, eyes, etc.)

How did I get my levels up to 75? I eat 3 eggs a day, was supplementing with cod liver oil (which I agree is too high in Vitamin A and I limited that, plus its god-awful) and implement a balanced approach of minerals and whole foods. Lots of mushrooms, eggs, fish, and I do supplement with 5,000 iu vitamin D in the winter. Summer, I'm usually forgetting to supplement because I do get my sun, every day.
 
Well said.

For the latitude compromised, up to 1000 iu per 25 pounds of body weight is a good winter starting point,
yes, with the K2. 125 pound me, 5000iu, which should produce a nice midrange value in absence of sunlight.
Summertime, not so much - unless you never venture out uncovered and/or unsunscreened.

Another important footnote is that different genetics and different racial backgrounds dramatically
change the D3 requirement. Asian/Indian can require 5-10x the D3 that northern europeans do.
Unfortunately, at those levels, blood tests are a must as too much D3 accumulation can be a big issue.

For most of us, if only sunlight were available year round, it would be nice.

Here's a link with a lot of good info on vitamin D.

https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/
 
I think it primarily depends on the needs of your organism. I know some recommendations from the US Institute of Medicine. They suggest that an average daily intake of 400–800 IU, or 10–20 micrograms, is adequate for 97.5% of individuals. But it might depend on the particularities. Anyway, we should consume it enough to provide the necessary level of it in the organism. I have been thinking about purchasing some https://www.nhc.com/brand/bluebonnet vitamin D supplements for a long time. And I feel that this discussion and your thoughts have encouraged me to do it! Thanks a lot for your efforts!
 
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Generally, our body produces vit-d with the help of sunlight. It is necessary to take sun exposure regularly for maintaining vit-d quantity in our body rather taking external supplements. Though, due to certain factors if an individual is unable to take sun exposure then he/she may go with vit-d supplements.

Similarly, an adult body needs 400IU/day but it may increase in pregnant and older ones from 600-800IU/day.
 
I am always vitamin D deficient. There was one summer where I was outside most of the time, but it my Vitamin D was still low.

If you do take Vitamin D do it in the morning after you eat your morning meal.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin. That vitamin needs to be absorb with food. If you take something like Vitamin C that is water soluble vitamin, so you don't need to take with food.

Hopes this helps,

Jennifer Denny
 
I take 1 vitamin D pill. I get it from the pharmacy.

When I continue to take vitamin D my levels on the Vitamin D blood test rise. So, I know this vitamin supplement works.

Jennifer Denny
 
I take 2000 daily and during the late fall through early spring, I'll take 5000 once a week.
I've had my levels checked this year and I'm square in the middle of the range where people should be, so I'm good.
 
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