5 ms·

Could someone help me understand this? >it was found that 8895 IU/d was needed for 97.5% of individuals to achieve values ≥50 nmol/L. Another study confirmed t

Could someone help me understand this? >it was found that 8895 IU/d was needed for 97.5% of individuals to achieve values ≥50 nmol/L. Another study confirmed that 6201 IU/d was needed to achieve 75 nmol/L and 9122 IU/d was needed to reach 100 nmol/L. The largest meta-analysis ever conducted of studies published between 1966 and 2013 showed that 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels <75 nmol/L may be too low for safety and associated with higher all-cause mortality, demolishing the previously presumed U-shape curve of mortality associated with vitamin D levels. What is IU/d? What is nmol/L? Could someone ELI5 the entire abstract for me? Well, maybe a little more than 5, I get that there was an error estimating recommended levels and we're not getting enough.

cup 9y ago
IU/d International Units per day nmol/L Nano Mols per liter. The abstract is basically saying previous work was mistaken and we need to take a lot more vitamin D than we've been suggesting, and calling on regulatory authorities to change their guidelines.
sarcas 9y ago
Both IU/d and nmol/L are measurements of molecules. nmol/L is "nano-moles per liter", and is a measure of concentration: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molar_concentration https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molar_concentration "IU" is a measurement common in pharmacology, and has to do with trying to standardize how much mass/volume of a substance will give a particular biological effect. The "/d" is per day. In summary, the article is saying that, based on a meta analysis[1] of previous research, we have misunderstood or misreported some of these measurements. They suggest both the safe dosage and the effective dosage for Vitamin D should be much higher, and argue that this is a cheap and effective way of treating problems associated with Vitamin D deficiency. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta-analysis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta-analysis (edited for spelling)
mft_ 9y ago
IU/d = international units per day (a measure of vitamin D intake) nmol/L = nanomoles per litre (a measure of resultant blood concentration of vitamin D) The ELI5 is: 1. Trials indicate that vitamin D deficiency (possibly below a blood concentration of 75 nmol/L) is a bad thing and is associated with a higher risk of death (from any cause) and also other health problems (risk of development of type I diabetes is given as an example) 2. The current recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin D (https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/ https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessiona...) is currently lower than the intakes that studies have found are needed for most people to provide the blood concentrations which may be needed for good health (possibly due to a previous calculation error in determining the RDA) 3. Therefore, the author recommends to increase the RDA for vitamin D
floatingatoll 9y ago
The generally accepted goal by both the researchers and the US RDA is to reach 50-75 nmol/L blood levels, using however many IU that takes. IU/d is "IU per day of Vitamin D", and nmol/L is "nmol per liter of blood". Vitamin D is measured in IU rather than grams like most other supplements for medical reasons I'm not familiar with. nmol is an unfamiliar unit, but I can help clarify why this paper is so stunning anyways. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/ https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessiona... is a summary of the NIH's position on Vitamin D for US citizens. The research linked by this post differs in two key ways, approximately: First, "<75 nmol/L may be too low for safety", vs. the NIH statement ">50 nmol/L generally considered adequate" (for adults). Second, "8895 IU was needed to reach >50 nmol/L", vs. the NIH statement "600 IU sufficient with minimal sun exposure" (for adults). So, in summary, for healthy adults, they assert that 10-20x the current RDA-indicated IU of vitamin D consumption is necessary to achieve the recommended blood saturation level of 50-75 nmol/L in all adults. Two notes: These precise figures are for grown adults, NOT children; and, I strongly encourage getting a vitamin D blood test before starting or modifying your vitamin D supplement intake, especially if attempting to reach the 15x RDA levels described here.
- logfromblammo 9y ago
  IU are used whenever a particular vitamin has multiple forms with varying levels of efficacy [0]. Or it may be used when the typical quantities are measured in inconveniently small units. 1 IU of cholecalciferol is 0.025 micrograms. If you supplement vitamin D at hogh doses, make sure you use cholecalciferol rather than ergocalciferol. The former is naturally synthesized in your own skin, whereas the latter is produced mainly in mushrooms, and can result in unpleasant side effects. Maximum-dose recommendations from nutritionists may include the assumption that the consumer does not know the difference, therefore reflect the highest safe dose of the least-safe vitamer. It is similar to the issues with vitamin A, when someone may safely supplement with carotenes and unsafely supplement with retinol. You can eat sweet potato and carrots until you turn orange, but you cannot eat a single bite of polar bear liver. But because we are mostly idiots, nutritionists cannot recommend a high-dose supplement for vitamin A, with carotene in mind, because someone will inevitably overdose themselves with retinol. So if you can certify yourself as not-a-moron, you will be able to figure out when those recommendations may be safely ignored. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamer

cup 9y ago

IU/d International Units per day nmol/L Nano Mols per liter. The abstract is basically saying previous work was mistaken and we need to take a lot more vitamin D than we've been suggesting, and calling on regulatory authorities to change their guidelines.

sarcas 9y ago

Both IU/d and nmol/L are measurements of molecules. nmol/L is "nano-moles per liter", and is a measure of concentration: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molar_concentration https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molar_concentration "IU" is a measurement common in pharmacology, and has to do with trying to standardize how much mass/volume of a substance will give a particular biological effect. The "/d" is per day. In summary, the article is saying that, based on a meta analysis[1] of previous research, we have misunderstood or misreported some of these measurements. They suggest both the safe dosage and the effective dosage for Vitamin D should be much higher, and argue that this is a cheap and effective way of treating problems associated with Vitamin D deficiency. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta-analysis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta-analysis (edited for spelling)

mft_ 9y ago

IU/d = international units per day (a measure of vitamin D intake) nmol/L = nanomoles per litre (a measure of resultant blood concentration of vitamin D) The ELI5 is: 1. Trials indicate that vitamin D deficiency (possibly below a blood concentration of 75 nmol/L) is a bad thing and is associated with a higher risk of death (from any cause) and also other health problems (risk of development of type I diabetes is given as an example) 2. The current recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin D (https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/ https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessiona...) is currently lower than the intakes that studies have found are needed for most people to provide the blood concentrations which may be needed for good health (possibly due to a previous calculation error in determining the RDA) 3. Therefore, the author recommends to increase the RDA for vitamin D

floatingatoll 9y ago

The generally accepted goal by both the researchers and the US RDA is to reach 50-75 nmol/L blood levels, using however many IU that takes. IU/d is "IU per day of Vitamin D", and nmol/L is "nmol per liter of blood". Vitamin D is measured in IU rather than grams like most other supplements for medical reasons I'm not familiar with. nmol is an unfamiliar unit, but I can help clarify why this paper is so stunning anyways. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/ https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessiona... is a summary of the NIH's position on Vitamin D for US citizens. The research linked by this post differs in two key ways, approximately: First, "<75 nmol/L may be too low for safety", vs. the NIH statement ">50 nmol/L generally considered adequate" (for adults). Second, "8895 IU was needed to reach >50 nmol/L", vs. the NIH statement "600 IU sufficient with minimal sun exposure" (for adults). So, in summary, for healthy adults, they assert that 10-20x the current RDA-indicated IU of vitamin D consumption is necessary to achieve the recommended blood saturation level of 50-75 nmol/L in all adults. Two notes: These precise figures are for grown adults, NOT children; and, I strongly encourage getting a vitamin D blood test before starting or modifying your vitamin D supplement intake, especially if attempting to reach the 15x RDA levels described here.

logfromblammo 9y ago
IU are used whenever a particular vitamin has multiple forms with varying levels of efficacy [0]. Or it may be used when the typical quantities are measured in inconveniently small units. 1 IU of cholecalciferol is 0.025 micrograms. If you supplement vitamin D at hogh doses, make sure you use cholecalciferol rather than ergocalciferol. The former is naturally synthesized in your own skin, whereas the latter is produced mainly in mushrooms, and can result in unpleasant side effects. Maximum-dose recommendations from nutritionists may include the assumption that the consumer does not know the difference, therefore reflect the highest safe dose of the least-safe vitamer. It is similar to the issues with vitamin A, when someone may safely supplement with carotenes and unsafely supplement with retinol. You can eat sweet potato and carrots until you turn orange, but you cannot eat a single bite of polar bear liver. But because we are mostly idiots, nutritionists cannot recommend a high-dose supplement for vitamin A, with carotene in mind, because someone will inevitably overdose themselves with retinol. So if you can certify yourself as not-a-moron, you will be able to figure out when those recommendations may be safely ignored. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamer