7 ms·

It's one of the ones that's stored through fat, so you get a nice stream of it while you are sick and losing weight. The question of dose is a big one, but I p

by rriepe 6y ago

It's one of the ones that's stored through fat, so you get a nice stream of it while you are sick and losing weight. The question of dose is a big one, but I personally don't go over 1500 IU of supplements a day (try the 1000 IU gummies IMO). I also only take it from November to February. The recommended daily dose is way less, and you can easily sit down and pop 20,000 IU of the stuff. Be careful! It is technically a hormone.

robbiemitchell 6y ago
What do you make of the whispers that the recommended daily dose is way under? I've seen it pop in recent comments so I found a couple of the papers: [1] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150317122458.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150317122458.h... [2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28768407/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28768407/ (two years later)
- gridlockd 6y ago
  There can't be a recommended daily dose for everyone, every body is different. I quote: "... in a correct analysis of the data used by the Institute of Medicine, it was found that 8895 IU/d was needed for 97.5% of individuals to achieve values ≥50 nmol/L." That just means there are some people who need a very high dose. For comparison, 4000IU/d gets me well over 50nmol/L, this is also the "generally considered safe" upper limit. There was a case reported on HN where 5000IU/daily caused issues with calcium levels. You gotta get your bloodwork done.
  - speakeron 6y ago
    50 nmol/l (20 ng/ml) is right in the middle of the 'insufficient' range. Did you mean ng/ml? The upper limit for most labs is between 175 and 200 nmol/l. In my personal example, taking about 6000 UI (plus 300 mcg K2) for a year put me just under 200 nmol/l. I did an experiment and stopped taking it for 2 months (but kept taking K2). After testing again I had dropped to 70 nmol/l (top of the insufficient range) and had mild symptoms of muscle ache and fatigue. Needless to say, I've started taking it again (and will aim for 175 nmol/l).
    - gridlockd 6y ago
      My levels were more than sufficient, definitely in the high range, but I don't know them off the top of my head.
- rriepe 6y ago
  In general I agree and these studies are what got me looking into it in the first place. But there's a ceiling too. Dr. Deva Boone has talked about it here on HN [1]. [1]https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24261948 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24261948
  - coredog64 6y ago
    This. I was taking 5000IU as I thought it was mostly harmless. But I also noticed some of the symptoms mentioned in that thread such as crazy heart rhythm even when resting. I’ve dropped that supplement and am just accepting the more nominal amount from diet, multivitamins, and mild sunlight exposure. Since then I haven’t had the heart rhythm issues.
Knufen 6y ago
It's funny, most people doesn't consider bioavailability of what they are eating. This is even more important with vitamins. Bioavailability can vary from 55 to a 100% [1]. You can without worries take 4000 IU of vitamin D daily. [1]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6631968/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6631968/
- rriepe 6y ago
  Personally I wouldn't go that high without talking to a doctor. There are just a whole bunch of confounding factors with Vitamin D: It takes six weeks of continuous supplementation to really see the effects. It's fat-soluble so whether you're losing or gaining weight matters. And now this! There's just a whole lot of variables. If you're going really high-dose, check with your doctor. Even if you do need a high dose to catch up and level out, how would you know when to stop? Search the string "devaboone" here on HN for more about the potential drawbacks of really high doses.

by rriepe 6y ago

robbiemitchell 6y ago

What do you make of the whispers that the recommended daily dose is way under? I've seen it pop in recent comments so I found a couple of the papers: [1] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150317122458.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150317122458.h... [2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28768407/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28768407/ (two years later)

gridlockd 6y ago
There can't be a recommended daily dose for everyone, every body is different. I quote: "... in a correct analysis of the data used by the Institute of Medicine, it was found that 8895 IU/d was needed for 97.5% of individuals to achieve values ≥50 nmol/L." That just means there are some people who need a very high dose. For comparison, 4000IU/d gets me well over 50nmol/L, this is also the "generally considered safe" upper limit. There was a case reported on HN where 5000IU/daily caused issues with calcium levels. You gotta get your bloodwork done.
- speakeron 6y ago
  50 nmol/l (20 ng/ml) is right in the middle of the 'insufficient' range. Did you mean ng/ml? The upper limit for most labs is between 175 and 200 nmol/l. In my personal example, taking about 6000 UI (plus 300 mcg K2) for a year put me just under 200 nmol/l. I did an experiment and stopped taking it for 2 months (but kept taking K2). After testing again I had dropped to 70 nmol/l (top of the insufficient range) and had mild symptoms of muscle ache and fatigue. Needless to say, I've started taking it again (and will aim for 175 nmol/l).
  - gridlockd 6y ago
    My levels were more than sufficient, definitely in the high range, but I don't know them off the top of my head.
rriepe 6y ago
In general I agree and these studies are what got me looking into it in the first place. But there's a ceiling too. Dr. Deva Boone has talked about it here on HN [1]. [1]https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24261948 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24261948
- coredog64 6y ago
  This. I was taking 5000IU as I thought it was mostly harmless. But I also noticed some of the symptoms mentioned in that thread such as crazy heart rhythm even when resting. I’ve dropped that supplement and am just accepting the more nominal amount from diet, multivitamins, and mild sunlight exposure. Since then I haven’t had the heart rhythm issues.

Knufen 6y ago

It's funny, most people doesn't consider bioavailability of what they are eating. This is even more important with vitamins. Bioavailability can vary from 55 to a 100% [1]. You can without worries take 4000 IU of vitamin D daily. [1]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6631968/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6631968/

rriepe 6y ago
Personally I wouldn't go that high without talking to a doctor. There are just a whole bunch of confounding factors with Vitamin D: It takes six weeks of continuous supplementation to really see the effects. It's fat-soluble so whether you're losing or gaining weight matters. And now this! There's just a whole lot of variables. If you're going really high-dose, check with your doctor. Even if you do need a high dose to catch up and level out, how would you know when to stop? Search the string "devaboone" here on HN for more about the potential drawbacks of really high doses.