4 ms·

Not by me. I'm D-deficient, had gastric sleeve surgery, surprisingly it's the only deficiency I have regularly. I often forget my D... but been taking it religi

Not by me. I'm D-deficient, had gastric sleeve surgery, surprisingly it's the only deficiency I have regularly. I often forget my D... but been taking it religiously and asked my doctor if it's okay to add an extra 5000 iu per week, and he said it was fine and a good idea because of how low I normally run. I've got a new formulation coming soon though that has vitamin k mixed in w/ 5000 ius, and a separate calcium/magnesium pill to make sure my bones stay strong. Will get re-tested next month and see if I beat the deficiency. I'm sure there's plenty of things but seemed like taking D probably is biggest (other than distancing) due to my already extremely low normal levels.

open-source-ux 7y ago
Is it safe to take a high dose of vitamin D in supplement form? I ask only because the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK warns not to take more than 100 micrograms of vitamin D. 5000 iu (International units) is approximately 125 micrograms of vitamin D. Here is what the NHS website says: "What happens if I take too much vitamin D? Taking too many vitamin D supplements over a long period of time can cause too much calcium to build up in the body (hypercalcaemia). This can weaken the bones and damage the kidneys and the heart. If you choose to take vitamin D supplements, 10 micrograms a day will be enough for most people. Do not take more than 100 micrograms of vitamin D a day as it could be harmful. This applies to adults, including pregnant and breastfeeding women and the elderly, and children aged 11 to 17 years." https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/ https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-...
- vegannet 7y ago
  I am not a doctor but fwiw I was told by an NHS doctor that the most recent scientific understanding of vitamin D is that the recommended dose (based on old science) is far too low and 5000 per day is a good amount for someone in the UK (due to the amount of sunlight we get on average here).
  - youareostriches 7y ago
    Units, please. He said micrograms and it sounds like you’re talking about IU.
- sudoaza 7y ago
  Remember hearing a podcast (the drive peter attia with someone else) and they were saying up to 10k iu there is no harm, anyway I heard somewhere else that vitamin D also overexpreses ACE2 so you probably just want to take between 1k and 2k covid 19 wise. Not a doc though
  - lonelappde 7y ago
    https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-vitamin-d-is-too-much#section3 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-vitamin-d-is-t... "According to the Institute of Medicine, 4000 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" Probably God to avoid testing the limit if you can. Are you sure you are a "healthy individual", if you've already diagnosed a health problem that vitamin D can treat?
- lonelappde 7y ago
  Wow. 1 IU is the biological equivalent of 0.025 mcg cholecalciferol or ergocalciferol Is there any nutrient that is essential in a smaller quantity than that?
- randallsquared 7y ago
  My doctor believes it's safe, at least. I take 15000 IU on his advice (ramped up in 5000 IU increments until my bloodwork came back with acceptable levels).
tracker1 7y ago
Worth considering if you're eating too little fat, you may have problems with absorption of fat soluble vitamins like D and K.
- vecter 7y ago
  This is a great callout and a good warning for folks. I've had mild Vitamin D deficiency which was diagnosed by a doctor many years ago. I was given Vitamin D supplements, which I stocked up on more than usual recently due to my staying in all day due to WFH and not getting any sunlight. I used to take 50mcg of D3 1-2x a week and I upped that (without consulting a doctor) to 5x a week. Within two weeks, I started having extreme thirst. It was crazy to the point where I drank so much water that I could hear it sloshing in my stomach yet my mouth was parched dry and I was still very thirsty. I did a quick Google search and found that this was actually a thing [0]. I stopped my Vitamin D supplements the next day and my thirst went away that same day. Be careful folks. [0] https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1203879/vitamin-d-deficiency-symptoms-supplements-too-much-excessive-thirst-foods https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1203879/vitamin-...
httpsterio 7y ago
I read somewhere that prolonged high doses of vitamin D might have adverse effects on bone strength making them more brittle, but I'm unsure about the source. I personally have celiac disease and hypothyroidism am also having issues keeping the D up (heh heh). I take about 200ug daily with vitamin K and I'm thinking about increasing it temporarily to double of that. Generally it shouldn't be an issue with short term higher doses, but nearing a 1000ug daily dose for prolonged periods (months) can be dangerous.
- teilo 7y ago
  That is only true if you also have a potassium deficiency and low K2-MK7. That's why, when testing D levels, it's also important to test Ca levels. And even then, you have to be taking very high levels of D. More on the order of 50K UI a day for a long time.
- thornjm 7y ago
  (Med student here with only limited knowledge). This is correct. The active form of Vitamin D (Calcitriol) can be both helpful and harmful to bone health. I think the mechanism is not fully understood but in short doses it stimulates bone growth and is a treatment for osteoporosis. In chronic doses it actives cells caused osteoclasts that reabsorb bone.
  - woofie11 6y ago
    Do you know the breakpoint? What's a short dose, and when does it become chronic?
  - Harvesterify 6y ago
    Cholecalciferol is used in over the counter supplements, not calcitriol (which is the active vitamin D form). There also is a negative feedback for the conversion, that explain why there are so few acute vitamin D poisoning.
- macawfish 7y ago
  I believe that's why some nutritionists recommend supplementing with Magnesium when taking vitamin D.
DTrejo 7y ago
I hope your K formulation also has K2, which seems like the more important and bioavailable one.

open-source-ux 7y ago

Is it safe to take a high dose of vitamin D in supplement form? I ask only because the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK warns not to take more than 100 micrograms of vitamin D. 5000 iu (International units) is approximately 125 micrograms of vitamin D. Here is what the NHS website says: "What happens if I take too much vitamin D? Taking too many vitamin D supplements over a long period of time can cause too much calcium to build up in the body (hypercalcaemia). This can weaken the bones and damage the kidneys and the heart. If you choose to take vitamin D supplements, 10 micrograms a day will be enough for most people. Do not take more than 100 micrograms of vitamin D a day as it could be harmful. This applies to adults, including pregnant and breastfeeding women and the elderly, and children aged 11 to 17 years." https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/ https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-...

vegannet 7y ago
I am not a doctor but fwiw I was told by an NHS doctor that the most recent scientific understanding of vitamin D is that the recommended dose (based on old science) is far too low and 5000 per day is a good amount for someone in the UK (due to the amount of sunlight we get on average here).
- youareostriches 7y ago
  Units, please. He said micrograms and it sounds like you’re talking about IU.
sudoaza 7y ago
Remember hearing a podcast (the drive peter attia with someone else) and they were saying up to 10k iu there is no harm, anyway I heard somewhere else that vitamin D also overexpreses ACE2 so you probably just want to take between 1k and 2k covid 19 wise. Not a doc though
- lonelappde 7y ago
  https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-vitamin-d-is-too-much#section3 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-vitamin-d-is-t... "According to the Institute of Medicine, 4000 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" Probably God to avoid testing the limit if you can. Are you sure you are a "healthy individual", if you've already diagnosed a health problem that vitamin D can treat?
lonelappde 7y ago
Wow. 1 IU is the biological equivalent of 0.025 mcg cholecalciferol or ergocalciferol Is there any nutrient that is essential in a smaller quantity than that?
randallsquared 7y ago
My doctor believes it's safe, at least. I take 15000 IU on his advice (ramped up in 5000 IU increments until my bloodwork came back with acceptable levels).

tracker1 7y ago

Worth considering if you're eating too little fat, you may have problems with absorption of fat soluble vitamins like D and K.

vecter 7y ago
This is a great callout and a good warning for folks. I've had mild Vitamin D deficiency which was diagnosed by a doctor many years ago. I was given Vitamin D supplements, which I stocked up on more than usual recently due to my staying in all day due to WFH and not getting any sunlight. I used to take 50mcg of D3 1-2x a week and I upped that (without consulting a doctor) to 5x a week. Within two weeks, I started having extreme thirst. It was crazy to the point where I drank so much water that I could hear it sloshing in my stomach yet my mouth was parched dry and I was still very thirsty. I did a quick Google search and found that this was actually a thing [0]. I stopped my Vitamin D supplements the next day and my thirst went away that same day. Be careful folks. [0] https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1203879/vitamin-d-deficiency-symptoms-supplements-too-much-excessive-thirst-foods https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1203879/vitamin-...

httpsterio 7y ago

I read somewhere that prolonged high doses of vitamin D might have adverse effects on bone strength making them more brittle, but I'm unsure about the source. I personally have celiac disease and hypothyroidism am also having issues keeping the D up (heh heh). I take about 200ug daily with vitamin K and I'm thinking about increasing it temporarily to double of that. Generally it shouldn't be an issue with short term higher doses, but nearing a 1000ug daily dose for prolonged periods (months) can be dangerous.

teilo 7y ago
That is only true if you also have a potassium deficiency and low K2-MK7. That's why, when testing D levels, it's also important to test Ca levels. And even then, you have to be taking very high levels of D. More on the order of 50K UI a day for a long time.
thornjm 7y ago
(Med student here with only limited knowledge). This is correct. The active form of Vitamin D (Calcitriol) can be both helpful and harmful to bone health. I think the mechanism is not fully understood but in short doses it stimulates bone growth and is a treatment for osteoporosis. In chronic doses it actives cells caused osteoclasts that reabsorb bone.
- woofie11 6y ago
  Do you know the breakpoint? What's a short dose, and when does it become chronic?
- Harvesterify 6y ago
  Cholecalciferol is used in over the counter supplements, not calcitriol (which is the active vitamin D form). There also is a negative feedback for the conversion, that explain why there are so few acute vitamin D poisoning.
macawfish 7y ago
I believe that's why some nutritionists recommend supplementing with Magnesium when taking vitamin D.

DTrejo 7y ago

I hope your K formulation also has K2, which seems like the more important and bioavailable one.