9 ms·

Could someone explain the significance of these findings? It's not remotely my area of expertise, and I'm having trouble seeing if/how this has any current or

Could someone explain the significance of these findings? It's not remotely my area of expertise, and I'm having trouble seeing if/how this has any current or future clinical significance.

whalesalad 6y ago
(I am not a scientist) My interpretation is that your gut bacteria are vital for metabolizing Vitamin D and that you can take a lot of supplements but if your gut aint right it won't help. Slightly related: I keep trying to identifty the recent report that essentially demonstrated a big calculation error in our societal wisdom regarding Vitamin D amounts - and that we need a LOT more than most people think. 2,000 - 5,000 IUD is like a fraction of it. Edit, found it: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5541280/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5541280/ A statistical error in the estimation of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin D was recently discovered; 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. and ....we call all responsible public health authorities to consider designating as the recommended dietary allowance (i.e., the average daily level of intake sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all healthy people, presuming minimal sun exposure) intake levels corresponding to those proposed by the Endocrine Society Expert Committee (2011) as safe upper tolerable daily intake doses for patients at risk for vitamin D deficiency (<50 nmol/L): 2000 IU for those <1 year of age, 4000 IU for those aged 1-18 years, and 10 000 IU for those aged >18 years. I wonder how these two concepts could relate. Do you need more Vit-D or do you just need a healthier environment for it to be metabolized? I have been taking 10,000 IU every night for a week or so - going to keep cruising on it for a while to see how I feel.
- zeku 6y ago
  I would contact a doctor. Vitamin D stores in your body can take a long time to build up, but if you store too much it can be a major problem. You should at least consider an at home vitamin D test, I found a few online(that i didn't order in the end) that were selling for around $50. If you're determined to do this yourself you should periodically use those tests to help keep yourself safe. Source: I'm not a doctor.
- tenebrisalietum 6y ago
  I was prescribed 50,000 IU Vitamin D and told to take it once a week, and not take any other Vitamin D supplements while taking this. Everyone is different, just sharing my experience.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
- Sunspark 6y ago
  Be careful. "Vitamin" D is actually a hormone that is fat-soluble which means it can build up too much in your body and cause a toxic effect and I know one person who that happened to. The way to know you're ok at your current dosage is to take a blood test, ideally at least twice a year (summer and winter) so you can make sure you're not overdosing. I haven't had a blood test in many years, so currently I am only on 3000 IU. It's a big difference, in one week I have 21,000 IU and you have 70,000 IU, I am only taking 30% of the dose you are. Get a blood test!
  - panorama 6y ago
    Perhaps off-topic but my inner hacker finds it very upsetting that getting blood tests can be so cumbersome, despite being so important. Make an appointment, transit to the doctor's office, pay a bunch of money, wait for labs, wait for your doctor to explain and prescribe stuff to you. It's cumbersome enough to the point where the vast majority of humans aren't testing anywhere near the frequency they should, including myself. I don't think running diagnostics on a human should be this hard, we run diagnostics on our apps, computers, cars more often than ourselves. I wonder if people are working on making this process a lot easier (or if it's even possible, I have zero knowledge of the space).
    - whalesalad 6y ago
      Quest diagnostics will let you do it yourself. I am in the process of ordering a self-serve vit-d test and metabolic panel for about $150, no doctor referral required. (I also dislike the limitations as I feel like people are more capable of helping themselves in a lot of these situations)
    - SoSoRoCoCo 6y ago
      It's not hard. Google "LabCorps" near you. You can walk in and get a basic metabolic panel in about 15 minutes, with results the next day or two, for about $50, without a doctor. I use them for frequent STI testing.
    - exhilaration 6y ago
      I paid $47 for this vitamin D test (via blood draw): https://www.lifeextension.com/lab-testing/itemlc081950/vitamin-d-25-hydroxy-blood-test https://www.lifeextension.com/lab-testing/itemlc081950/vitam... You get a doctor's prescription (from a Florida doctor, good for anywhere in the country) and instructions to go to your nearest Labcorp for a blood draw. So make sure you have a Labcorp near you. Here are a few alternatives you can look into, mentioned in this discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15868143 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15868143 [0]: https://www.privatemdlabs.com https://www.privatemdlabs.com [1]: http://www.directlabs.com/ http://www.directlabs.com/ [2]: https://www.walkinlab.com/ https://www.walkinlab.com/ [3]: https://www.health-tests-direct.com/ https://www.health-tests-direct.com/ [4]: https://www.personalabs.com/ https://www.personalabs.com/
- ntsplnkv2 6y ago
  Thanks for explaining. This makes me wonder if there is a problem in my gut. I was on a 50k IU / week dose because of low vitamin D. It made no impact. Being out in the sun, however, made a huge impact - so I get much more sunlight now and I'm fine. I wonder if the vitamin D issue correlates with largely indoor office work now vs farming of our ancestors and largely being outside.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
- wcarss 6y ago
  I'm trying to find the HN thread from a few months ago, where an HN-user's spouse (who is a physician focused on treating patients suffering Vitamin D toxicity) gave a stark warning that she has personally seen many (hundreds of) patients on ~5-10k IU/day intake hit toxicity because they did not measure their levels. Be careful! Definitely try to get a test for your levels, definitely consult a doctor if you can. If you can't, know that 5k+ can be too much for some people. (For the record, I began taking 1-2k IU/day in March.)
  - gniv 6y ago
    Probably devaboone: https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=devaboone https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=devaboone
- westwing 6y ago
  If you take 10,000IU because 8895IU is what gets 97.5% of people to 50nmol/L, you are basically assuming you need more supplement than 97.5% of people, which is highly unlikely. There are people "at risk" that have trouble metabolizing the supplement, but chances are you're not one of them. You need to do blood tests. Don't take 10,000IU daily without consulting a doctor. The "generally considered safe" upper limit is 4000IU. You'll probably be fine with 2000IU. Too much Vitamin D can mess with your calcium and doses as low as 5000IU/daily over a few years have been reported to cause serious problems.
- jmnicolas 6y ago
  > I have been taking 10,000 IU every night It would be better to take it at lunch: from what I have read a long time ago it might affect your sleep if you take it late.
- jdhn 6y ago
  I'm curious, do you take any form of K2 with your D3, or not? I've heard that it's beneficial as it helps prevent calcification from occurring in your veins and arteries.

Could someone explain the significance of these findings? It's not remotely my area of expertise, and I'm having trouble seeing if/how this has any current or future clinical significance.

whalesalad 6y ago

(I am not a scientist) My interpretation is that your gut bacteria are vital for metabolizing Vitamin D and that you can take a lot of supplements but if your gut aint right it won't help. Slightly related: I keep trying to identifty the recent report that essentially demonstrated a big calculation error in our societal wisdom regarding Vitamin D amounts - and that we need a LOT more than most people think. 2,000 - 5,000 IUD is like a fraction of it. Edit, found it: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5541280/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5541280/ A statistical error in the estimation of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin D was recently discovered; 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. and ....we call all responsible public health authorities to consider designating as the recommended dietary allowance (i.e., the average daily level of intake sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all healthy people, presuming minimal sun exposure) intake levels corresponding to those proposed by the Endocrine Society Expert Committee (2011) as safe upper tolerable daily intake doses for patients at risk for vitamin D deficiency (<50 nmol/L): 2000 IU for those <1 year of age, 4000 IU for those aged 1-18 years, and 10 000 IU for those aged >18 years. I wonder how these two concepts could relate. Do you need more Vit-D or do you just need a healthier environment for it to be metabolized? I have been taking 10,000 IU every night for a week or so - going to keep cruising on it for a while to see how I feel.

zeku 6y ago
I would contact a doctor. Vitamin D stores in your body can take a long time to build up, but if you store too much it can be a major problem. You should at least consider an at home vitamin D test, I found a few online(that i didn't order in the end) that were selling for around $50. If you're determined to do this yourself you should periodically use those tests to help keep yourself safe. Source: I'm not a doctor.
tenebrisalietum 6y ago
I was prescribed 50,000 IU Vitamin D and told to take it once a week, and not take any other Vitamin D supplements while taking this. Everyone is different, just sharing my experience.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
Sunspark 6y ago
Be careful. "Vitamin" D is actually a hormone that is fat-soluble which means it can build up too much in your body and cause a toxic effect and I know one person who that happened to. The way to know you're ok at your current dosage is to take a blood test, ideally at least twice a year (summer and winter) so you can make sure you're not overdosing. I haven't had a blood test in many years, so currently I am only on 3000 IU. It's a big difference, in one week I have 21,000 IU and you have 70,000 IU, I am only taking 30% of the dose you are. Get a blood test!
- panorama 6y ago
  Perhaps off-topic but my inner hacker finds it very upsetting that getting blood tests can be so cumbersome, despite being so important. Make an appointment, transit to the doctor's office, pay a bunch of money, wait for labs, wait for your doctor to explain and prescribe stuff to you. It's cumbersome enough to the point where the vast majority of humans aren't testing anywhere near the frequency they should, including myself. I don't think running diagnostics on a human should be this hard, we run diagnostics on our apps, computers, cars more often than ourselves. I wonder if people are working on making this process a lot easier (or if it's even possible, I have zero knowledge of the space).
  - whalesalad 6y ago
    Quest diagnostics will let you do it yourself. I am in the process of ordering a self-serve vit-d test and metabolic panel for about $150, no doctor referral required. (I also dislike the limitations as I feel like people are more capable of helping themselves in a lot of these situations)
  - SoSoRoCoCo 6y ago
    It's not hard. Google "LabCorps" near you. You can walk in and get a basic metabolic panel in about 15 minutes, with results the next day or two, for about $50, without a doctor. I use them for frequent STI testing.
  - exhilaration 6y ago
    I paid $47 for this vitamin D test (via blood draw): https://www.lifeextension.com/lab-testing/itemlc081950/vitamin-d-25-hydroxy-blood-test https://www.lifeextension.com/lab-testing/itemlc081950/vitam... You get a doctor's prescription (from a Florida doctor, good for anywhere in the country) and instructions to go to your nearest Labcorp for a blood draw. So make sure you have a Labcorp near you. Here are a few alternatives you can look into, mentioned in this discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15868143 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15868143 [0]: https://www.privatemdlabs.com https://www.privatemdlabs.com [1]: http://www.directlabs.com/ http://www.directlabs.com/ [2]: https://www.walkinlab.com/ https://www.walkinlab.com/ [3]: https://www.health-tests-direct.com/ https://www.health-tests-direct.com/ [4]: https://www.personalabs.com/ https://www.personalabs.com/
ntsplnkv2 6y ago
Thanks for explaining. This makes me wonder if there is a problem in my gut. I was on a 50k IU / week dose because of low vitamin D. It made no impact. Being out in the sun, however, made a huge impact - so I get much more sunlight now and I'm fine. I wonder if the vitamin D issue correlates with largely indoor office work now vs farming of our ancestors and largely being outside.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]
wcarss 6y ago
I'm trying to find the HN thread from a few months ago, where an HN-user's spouse (who is a physician focused on treating patients suffering Vitamin D toxicity) gave a stark warning that she has personally seen many (hundreds of) patients on ~5-10k IU/day intake hit toxicity because they did not measure their levels. Be careful! Definitely try to get a test for your levels, definitely consult a doctor if you can. If you can't, know that 5k+ can be too much for some people. (For the record, I began taking 1-2k IU/day in March.)
- gniv 6y ago
  Probably devaboone: https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=devaboone https://news.ycombinator.com/threads?id=devaboone
westwing 6y ago
If you take 10,000IU because 8895IU is what gets 97.5% of people to 50nmol/L, you are basically assuming you need more supplement than 97.5% of people, which is highly unlikely. There are people "at risk" that have trouble metabolizing the supplement, but chances are you're not one of them. You need to do blood tests. Don't take 10,000IU daily without consulting a doctor. The "generally considered safe" upper limit is 4000IU. You'll probably be fine with 2000IU. Too much Vitamin D can mess with your calcium and doses as low as 5000IU/daily over a few years have been reported to cause serious problems.
jmnicolas 6y ago
> I have been taking 10,000 IU every night It would be better to take it at lunch: from what I have read a long time ago it might affect your sleep if you take it late.
jdhn 6y ago
I'm curious, do you take any form of K2 with your D3, or not? I've heard that it's beneficial as it helps prevent calcification from occurring in your veins and arteries.