[cherie777]

Hello, all,

Nearly a year ago I read an article about how important vitamin D was, and it suggested large dosages for maximum effect. I ordered mega-dose vitamin D from a famous online vitamin supply store. They were 5,000 IU vitamin D soft gels. The bottle says each soft gel supplies 1,250% of the daily requirement of vitamin D. I began taking 2 a day since last February. I have not missed a single day. A short time ago my doctor ran a simple blood test. When I went in for the results, the doctor said my levels of vitamin D were very low, and I should seriously consider taking supplements. I was shocked! I contacted the manufacturer of the vitamins, and they said the product was fine, there was something wrong with me, or something I was taking was interfering with the vitamin D absorption. I am diabetic, take insulin (Novolog and Lantis, low dosages), a mild blood-pressure pill, and vitamin C. Does anybody have any ideas? I suspect the vitamin D soft gels do NOT contain what they say. I paid a high price for them, too. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Cherie

 

[onaughmae]

There are some studies that show a possible link in diabetes and low vit D. I will say among a lot of the diabetics I know, having low vitamin D levels is pretty common. Mine was really low when checked now I take a precription supplement.

 

[Shanny]

My diabetes diagnosis came only last year - about 19 months ago - and I had a bone density test just last month which looked good. My doc did, however, put me on a calcium/vitamin D supplement, just for good measure. Since milk doesn't fit into my diabetes diet, and I rarely get any sun's rays, it's better safe than sorry.

I suspect the vitamin D soft gels do NOT contain what they say.

And I tend to agree with your suspicions about the expensive gel supplements, Cherie, despite the protestations of the manufacturer.

 

[Bountyman]

I think first you would have to have another blood test to confirm the first test. Once the second test matches the first test you'll have to switch to another brand of vitamin D supplement for, and this is just a guess, about 6 weeks...then take a third blood test. If the third blood test shows a higher percentage of vitamin D...you'll know it was the supplement. If it doesn't...you'll know it's you.

 

[RobertIA]

I believe Bountyman has the best solution. I only use the 2000 IU and on my last test, I was near the top of the normal range. Some supplements are not all they are advertised to be and what Bountyman has suggested is the sure way to know.

 

[cherie777]

Thanks for the responses!

Thanks for your kind responses! You've given me a lot of food for thought! I will check out Bountyman, and also see if prescription vitamin D would be a good way to go. I noticed it often comes with calcium, and wondered if I can get it without, or if there would be enough calcium to cause problems. I went for another blood test this morning for Cortisol, and an A1C. I never did understand that one, it gives the doctor a 4 month record of my blood sugar levels? How?

Anyway, thank you all again.

Best wishes,

Cherie

 

[Shanny]

Valid question, Cherie! The A1c can happen because the average life span of our red blood cells is 90 days or so. So since some of them have been floating around that long, the test can get a picture as far back as three or so months, of how much glucose has gotten attached to those cells. Kinda weird, isn't it?

 

[Bountyman]

I noticed it often comes with calcium, and wondered if I can get it without, or if there would be enough calcium to cause problems.

The body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium. Without enough vitamin D, one can’t form enough of the hormone calcitriol (known as the “active vitamin D”). This in turn leads to insufficient calcium absorption from the diet. In this situation, the body must take calcium from its stores in the skeleton, which weakens existing bone and prevents the formation of strong, new bone.

Some supplement suppliers like to mix and match their supplements. Adding calcium to a vitamin D supplement assures that the added calcium has a source of vitamin D to form calcitriol.

I would suppose there are vitamin D supplements that do not contain calcium.

 

[cherie777]

Thanks again! I am learning so much from you all!

Hello, again,

I had seen an article about the dangers of too much calcium. There are so many vitamin blends that mess you up. I had heard that too much calcium contributed to kidney stones, gall stones, and heart problems.

Just like when I saw an article from the WHO that said there was an absolute cure for MS. A serving of seafood daily for 4-6 months. I bought tilapia fillets, until I found it was a fresh water fish, not seafood, and thus ineffective.

I then thought TUNA (which I love)!! I bought many cans, and have been eating a serving a day for over 2 months. Then Consumer reports came out yesterday with an article on tuna, stating there was so much dangerous mercury in it, that no more than a single serving a week was safe!

So NOW what have I done to myself? Man! You can't win! I am now buying pollack and haddock fillets, stinky wet fish, ugh, but the only other options were salmon, mussels and shrimp, which I can't stand!

So it seems that no matter what you try, there is always a catch!

Anyway, thanks again!

Cherie

 

[Shanny]

Then Consumer reports came out yesterday with an article on tuna, stating there was so much dangerous mercury in it, that no more than a single serving a week was safe!

I saw that too! I really like tuna - in fact I had it for breakfast today (leftover tuna casserole ). While they tested only canned tuna, I can't imagine it makes any difference whether it's canned, foil pouches or fresh - the mercury is in the fish, not the packaging. Aarrgghh!

 

[cherie777]

Hi, Shanny!

Hi, Shanny,

It did mention the pouches as well as the cans. No difference. : (

Have you been on the forum long? I have been going through the mill, and it's really nice to be able to talk to someone!

Best wishes,

Cherie

 

[Shanny]

I've only been here about a year, and I've been diabetic only a little over 1½ years. I hope you'll be able to stay with us and visit often . . . so many of us struggle every day, and it's a major boost to be able to come here & have friends who understand what you're going through! Gives us a second wind in our sails! This gang is nothing if not chatty! heheh!

Hi, Shanny,

It did mention the pouches as well as the cans. No difference. : (

Have you been on the forum long? I have been going through the mill, and it's really nice to be able to talk to someone!

Best wishes,

Cherie

 

[ThoseBackPages]

i take 1,000mgs of Vitamin D a day

 

[cherie777]

Vitamin D dosage

Hello, ThoseBackPages,

I was taking two 5,000 IU soft gels of vitamin D a day, that's 10,000 IU daily, and my blood test showed almost NO vitamin D!! That's what makes me think the soft gels were just so much junk.

Cherie

 

[mcgruff]

My wife has not yet been diagnosed with diabetes, but she saw the doctor last week and has fasting glucose over 300, and a subsequent A1C test was at 13! So, it seems that she will be diagnosed as a diabetic. Also, her blood test showed very low vitamin D, and she has already been prescribed vitamin D. Her pills (to be taken twice a week) are 50,000 IU each. I think that's like 125 times the recommended daily allowance, and it's 50 times more than the vitamin D pill I take from the grocery store. My wife is also very thin; the main reason she went in for the doctor's visit was unexplained weight loss.

Anyway, since vitamin D is fat-soluble, I'm wondering if it's possible that she does not really have enough fat to store vitamin D in her body the way a person with a more healthy amount of body fat would. Just curious---for those of you who take vitamin D and still have low vitamin D, are you unusually low body fat?

 

[cherie777]

Hello, mcgruff,

I'm sorry to hear of your wife's troubles. My case is just the opposite, I have plenty of body fat, actually, way too much, I am what is called an "easy keeper", and 5 insulin (a fat storing hormone) shots per day is wrecking havoc with my weight. And STILL almost non-existent Vitamin D readings on my blood tests. I am hearing all sorts of things about people not being able to absorb Vitamin D, but it mostly boils down to thyroid problems, too high or low. She might get her thyroid checked out. It's hard to get a doctor to do that right, as they usually just do the standard test and that's it. But I understand there are much more sensitive tests that can be run that give a more accurate picture of what is wrong for that particular person. One person's normal is another person's too high or too low. So far, I haven't been able to get that kind of concern from any doctor, they just do the routine test and say you're in the normal range. In the meantime, I am miserable. Hope you are able to get your wife some help, and she gets better soon.

Cherie

 

[foxl]

I think there is a change in Vit D metabolism, in Diabetes.

As a thin Type 2, McGruff ... I would see to it your wife is tested for GAD-65 antibodies, and C-peptide. It would be important that they not overlook autoimmune diabetes -- people with antibodies should not use sulfonylurea meds, and might benefit from early insulin.

 

[mcgruff]

Cherie, thanks for your concern and I hope all goes well with your vitamin D and overall health. I am quite interested in finding out how vitamin D might relate to diabetes, which my wife apparently has.

Foxl, thanks for the thoughts. I hadn't really known anything about the specific things you mentioned until you did and I read more on it. It seems very likely, based on my wife's age, body composition, diet, etc., that she has latent autoimmune diabetes rather than type 2.

 

[foxl]

Good luck getting the testing for LADA or T1D! Keep us posted ...

 

[lia]

The standard recommendations for Vitamin D were 400 units a day for a lot of years. Now they are up to 1000 units a day at least by my last doctor, and some others. The doses you are taking are scary. Hope it is a problem with the supply, or the test results, and not your body. But most likely I would suppose it is the supply. I've never heard of a body rejecting D or some kind of D handicap.

I've read a few articles about too much calcium too. Come to think of it, I think I posted one in a thread here a few months ago. The calcium / D combination pills are heavy on calcium and light on D. I would not take them just for the D.

I've always avoided mega doses of any vitamin. In fact for my multivitamin pills, I cut them in about 4 pieces and just take one of those a day. I have a decent diet, and I must be getting some vitamins from it. I can't possibly need all the ones they pack into the pills. (and besides it saves cash)

I was around when all the health food people I knew were really big on vitamin C, quite a lot of years ago. I must have heard about 100 times that it cures colds or you don't even get them etc etc, if you take it. I was sharing a house with 6 other vegetarians at that time, so some of the health food stuff came with that. Anyway when studies were finally done on it, it had no effect on how often people catch colds, or how long they lasted.

There was also a study done that showed people who take multivitamins don't live as long as people who don't take them. That was about 5 years ago, and it got negative comments from a couple of vitamin companies of course. But there hasn't been one that showed people living longer from taking vitamins. You'd think if they do have a really positive effect it would be a good idea to set up a study and prove it. The fact that the companies don't do this makes me suspect that they don't do much good in general and the companies know it. I could be just way too suspicious, and of course this is just theory. I haven't done a study to back it up either.

And I might not be completely accurate about the study details. I'm pretty sure it was multivitamins, but not positive. If anyone remembers, please feel free to mention it.

D seems to be an exception. Everyone from the health food stores to the doctors seem to agree on it, and a lot of studies have been done that show people with quite a few health problems are much lower on D than normal.