Vitamin D Health Benefits

I read the information on your site about fibromyalgia and flouride poisoning but I didn't find any on the link between Vit. D deficiency and fibro. I just want to be sure that those suffering from this illness are aware of the belief that fibro. is considered by some to be an adult form of rickets. It manifests itself with signs of so many symptoms because if the body is deficient in Vit. D then it will become deficient in all of the minerals the body needs because without the vit. D in the colon minerals cannot be utilized and absorbed by the body. There is no substitute for the natural vit. D produced by the body by being exposed to natural sunlight....especially women are deficient because all of their makeup and body lotions block the UV rays of the sun. If you are suffering from fibromyalgia, please research the link between fibro. and vit. D deficiency.

I began having leg pain about 6 months ago. Read an article about the use of Vitamin D3 have been taking 2 1000 IU per day and no leg pain.

Vitamin A is an essential nutrient for healthy skin and mucous membranes, for differentiation of cells particularly for the developing embryo, it helps maintain the immune system and is essential for the function of the eyes (the visual process). Vitamin A is called retinol and we can make it from the beta-carotene (and a few other carotenoids) found in highly coloured fruits and vegetables. However, fruit and vegetable consumption in many countries is very low and, therefore, the intake of beta-carotene is low, too. Retinol occurs naturally in liver and liver products, dairy products, some fish and in cod liver oil. Cod liver oil is one of nature's richer sources of retinol as well as vitamin D. We are unable to comment on the amounts of A and D in cod liver oils marketed in the United States which is where the authors of the paper reside.

What happened to cod liver oil in the USA or how it is marketed may be different from the practice in other countries. In the UK cod liver oil the oil has for many decades contained A and D in an approximate ratio of 10:1 based on the amounts in International Units (I.U.). There is a British pharmacopoeial standard for the oil which has specified for many years no less than 600 I.U A and no less than 85 I.U. D per gram. The European Pharmacopoeia specifies, per gram of oil, no less than 600 I.U. and no more than 2500 I.U. of A and no less than 60 I.U. but no more than 250 I.U. vitamin D. Both reflect the ratio of A:D in natural cod liver oil of around 10:1('as nature designed it').

Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium from food and, consequently, it is required for development and maintenance of healthy, strong bones and teeth. Recent research is suggesting that the vitamin may have more and important actions. Very few natural foods contain vitamin D and most of the body's vitamin D comes from the action of sunlight on the skin. The vitamin is fat-soluble (as is A) and it can, therefore, be stored. This is important because the excess made beyond our immediate requirement could be stored for use at a later date. However, the fact that we rely on sunlight has a downside in that the sunlight needs to be of useful strength in order for us to make vitamin D. At higher latitudes, the time and the amount of useful sunlight are short and low, respectively, during late autumn, winter and early spring. This means that body vitamin D status may be compromised and it is the authors' personal view that this is a public health problem that should be addressed urgently.

We also feel and agree that vitamin D nutrition and, therefore, status should be improved. However, we cannot comment on the view of the authors on how they see that this should be achieved. It is possible that A may interfere with D at the level of the cell but this needs to be investigated meticulously before conclusions can be drawn and recommendations can be made by Government departments or agencies. Retinol has been around in nature for a very, very long time and cod liver oil was given to many people in several countries as the first supplement of vitamins D and A. In the UK, in the early days of the second World War, cod liver oil was given away in clinics to pregnant women, nursing mothers and children under the age of five years because of food restrictions and the fact that many women would need to work in factories and other places and would, therefore, be less exposed to sunlight. This continued until the late 1950s/early 1960s.

Cod liver oil has been taken for decades by many generations of people and without apparent adverse effects. Before suggesting that cod liver oil is anything but beneficial, more quality research needs to be done to find out what any interaction between these vitamins means. Only with sound scientific evidence on the actual interaction and the levels of each vitamin that may cause this interaction can authorities make (dietary) recommendations with reference to the intakes of these vitamins and to any maximum level of A (and D) in supplements and foods.

WARNING!

Warning

I have had a young woman living with me for several months. She was very pleased to find I had a wide variety of supplements available and started taking daily doses of most every thing as she was feeling run down and was in a great deal of stress in her life.

For a while she was feeling much better and we were both pleased. But for the last couple of days she started feeling much much worse which started to scare me.

Today she was in great pain throughout her body and was in terrible shape.

I kept wondering what was the matter, and on a hunch I looked up the side effect of excessive Vitamin D.

Her symptoms almost perfectly mimic the information I found on excess Vitamin D. and from your site I learned there might be a link to cod liver oil which is in the D3 from Costco.

This is scary because she is very sick.

Of course, I will halt all the Vit. D immediately but I do not know what else to do as she has no money to see a doctor.

From other sites I learned that a fair skinned person, which she is, can get enough Vit. D in 45 minutes in the sun in a week. She spend a great deal of time in the sun walking her dog daily etc. so I can believe she is way over dosed as she has been taking this vitamin in three sources as well as getting plenty of sunshine.

It would be good to list the problems here. The ones I have are:

http://www.cforyourself.com/Blog/2008/12/overdosing-on-vitamin-d-side-effects.html

"Ordinary doses can build up in the body over time and cause serious illness. Not surprisingly, the Mayo Clinic (are they defending themselves against Linus Pauling's accusations?) is the best source I've found on-line for vitamin D side effects. Here is their list:

Late symptoms of severe overdose (emerge after months or years of starting supplements)

High blood pressure
High fever
Irregular heartbeat
Stomach pain (severe)

Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur:

Early symptoms of overdose (emerge within days or weeks of starting vitamin D supplements)

Bone pain
Constipation (especially in children or adolescents)
Diarrhea
Drowsiness
Dryness of mouth
Headache (continuing)
Increased thirst
Increase in frequency of urination, especially at night, or in amount of urine
Irregular heartbeat
Itching skin
Loss of appetite
Metallic taste
Muscle pain
Nausea or vomiting (especially in children or adolescents)
Unusual tiredness or weakness

Late symptoms of overdose (emerge within weeks or months of starting supplements)

Bone pain
Calcium deposits (hard lumps) in tissues outside of the bone
Cloudy urine
Drowsiness
Increased sensitivity of eyes to light or irritation of eyes
Itching of skin
Loss of appetite
Loss of sex drive
Mood or mental changes
Muscle pain
Nausea or vomiting
Protein in the urine
Redness or discharge of the eye, eyelid, or lining of the eyelid
Runny nose
Weight loss

I did read that Vit.A counteracts the absorption of Vit. D. Does any one have any other suggestions? Please be quick as this is serious!

Thanks so much,
Kristina

Thank you for replying so quickly.

She has been taking Costco:
One A Day for women
D3
Fish oil
Echinacea
Vitamin D with Calcium and Magisium
Vit B12

Also:
Tumeric
Cayenne
Cinnamon
Wellness Booster
Lung complex

Selenium
Milk Thistle
Memory Complex
CoQ10
Memory Complex
5-HTP Mood Enhancer
Vit C
Alive
Spirulina
Grape Seed

She has not taken all of these every day but has done the One A Day and "2" Vitamin D3 and others everyday.

Thank you
Kristina

It sounds like a vitamin overdose, but I am not sure your friend is experiencing vitamin D toxicity. I also supplement with vitamin d3 (5,000 iu/day) and get at least half an hour of sun almost every day (South Bay, California - lots of sunshine). She should stop every supplement for at least 2 weeks and make sure to drink a lot of water to flush liver and kidneys. Add the supplements back in one by one. Let us know how she is in a few days.

I came down with the flu last week and a friend mentioned taking Vitamin D three days in a row and also putting hydrogen peroxide in the ear. I went a few days later when I was feeling better to Whole Foods and the only kind I could find was Vitamin D3. Most of the brands were made from liver sources, which I thought might be high in mercury, so I settled for vitamin D3 from Lanolin - also cholecalciferol. Anyway, I have been taking 1-2 softgels (2500 IU) a day with food. Immediately the raspy cough that I can't quite kick disappears. The amazing thing is that my psoriasis around my nose disappeared after taking the first dose. But both the cough and the psoriasis came back when I stopped a few days later. My thought is that I am not taking enough D3.

Question to those who know about Vitamin D3 -- How much is a good daily dosage? If it takes 30 minutes to get 10,000 IU from sitting out in the sun, I imagine you can take at least that amount. I am seeing that some people take up to 50,000 IU a day, but that seems a little high to me!

For about 20 years, I had a chronic patch of psoriasis over my left eyebrow. I had tried several prescription and OTC creams, but none of them worked. After reading an article about how thousands of people got relief from psoriasis by sunbathing in the Dead Sea area, I remembered how my own psoriasis would practically disappear during the summer months when I sunbathed regularly. That was when I made the connection between sunshine and vitamin D. So, I started taking a daily supplement of 1000iu of vitamin D, which was in addition to the 400iu in my daily multivitamin. In about a week, I was amazed to see the patch of psoriasis had completely disappeared and has never returned. It may not work for everyone, but it sure worked for me!

Hi,

I took 10,000iu of vitamin D3 plus a k2 supplement for 3 weeks and developed nasty side effects. My joints all started clicking, my knees became painful and my muscles started twitching. I could also feel a weird sensation in my teeth and had lower back pain. A muscle allergy tester diagnosed calcium deposits in all my joints and tendons and recommended phytoplankton 3 times per day and ACV 3 times per day. I have been taking these for 2 weeks and have had slight improvement (I'm not twitching much anymore). I added a magnesium oil yesterday which appears to have helped my back pain.

But my joints still click (everywhere! ) and my tendons are painful. Other people on vitamin d forums have mentioned their joints clicking too. Have you got any suggestions? Should I try the chanca piedra? I'm scared to put any supplements into my body anymore.

Best Wishes.

Gemma

Hi, Magnesium salt baths would help (epsom salts). Excess d3 causes kidney stones so watch out for this.

If your son is getting a lot of sore throats and colds, chances are he is deficient in vitamin D3. Next time you take him to the doctor, ask the dr to test for deficiency. (simple blood test) I don't know how old he is but an adult can start on 2000 units/day and work up to 5000. Since I have been on 5000, I haven't gotten so much as a sniffle. (4 yrs ago)

HI U GOOD PEOPLE DOIN, , , , , , ,

This may not come out too good, but think through it before you hit on me. On Oct 1 , we stop shaking hands at our little country church in Ten Mile. At first , the congregation was slightly irritated but some are now telling me that I'm smart.

We don't get much sun so we up our Vitamin D 3 to 5000 I u's /day. We stopped the flu vaccine years ago. Had you rather have the flu or mercury poisoning? Also , we shop stores before the crowds and know that there are a jullion germs on each buggy handle, door knobs, etc. So we carry anti-bacteria jels with us and wash our hands often.

Come April 1, we start shaking hands again, and cut back on our Vitamin D3. The Intelligent One created the sun which lets you make you own Vitamin D. Ain't that wonderful. Since I's not PC, I wish you all a Merry CHRISTmas. =========ROBERT HENRY=============

Sorry to hear how the mirena screwed things up for you. Vitamin D should be taken together with vitamin A to be effective. Check out the information backing this claim at the Weston Price blog

https://www.westonaprice.org/is-vitamin-d-safe-still-depends-on-vitamins-a-and-k-testimonials-and-a-human-study/

Good luck!

The doc likely prescribed you synthetic Vitamin D2. You will greater benefit from taking natural Vitamin D3. Study the research. D2 eventually has a negative affect.

Doesn't the Vit A in cod liver oil prevent absorption of Vit D?

Hi Joe...It is possible that Vit D could cause a rise in blood calcium levels when taken in a high or excess dosage. To ensure that this does not happen, simultaneously taking magnesium and borax supplementation would certainly help to regulate the calcium/sodium/potassium balance within the blood/tissues, and thereby help to maintain the body in a more beneficial alkaline state (since excess calcium in the tissues causes acidosis).

Rosacea and Vitamin D

Have had mild rosacea for a year with broken capillaries on checks. Condition worsened considerably this past winter with pustules within red swellings appearing on face and neck in new places almost daily. I wondered why my skin was calm, with no redness, when I got up in the morning. I read a blog about Vit. D helping rosacea. Hmmm, I took my 1000 IU of Vit. D at night; perhaps that was why my skin was calm in the a.m., I reasoned. I started taking 1000 IU Vit. D when I got up in the morning as well as before bed. I noticed significant positive results immediately. My skin is almost entirely cleared up in one week, even the broken capillaries and redness in the cheeks has subsided. But the best thing is that the oozing pores and pustules have almost completely ceased. I still have maybe one pustule appearing per day, but it's isolated, and not like before where a 1/4" round area of my skin became very red with numerous oozing pores and one pustule within that area that took several days to calm down. I can't believe how easy this was. I'd read that rosacea is worsened by sunlight, so during this past winter I wouldn't go outside without sunscreen and a hat. My rosacea got much worse during this time period. I think I just got low in Vit. D. I'm 58 so that lower ability to absorb Vit. D may be part of it, too.

I developed severe insomnia last winter (nov 07) and went through quite a trial for months, with none of the many things I tried helping much except some tips on how to improve sleep habits through cognitive behavioral therapy. I was doing better May-Oct 08 then all of a sudden the same severe insomnia symptom was back in full force. Last month I decided to try vitamin D3 2000 IU/day, after reading so many recent articles about the importance of this sunshine vitamin. I chose tablets with D3 source from lanolin, since I am allergic to fish. Within a week I was sleeping soundly at night, and I am continuing to sleep well. In retrospect, it is likely that I became more susceptible to vit. D deficiency after I became lactose intolerant and stopped drinking milk.

Can someone help me understand why an article will sometimes say Vitamin D, or just D, and then another time it will say D3?? I'm getting very confused and anxious because I've order Vitamin D3,5000 IUs which is the prescription dose I was given in the past. I have a bad tremor, and have not been diagnosed with Parkinson's but I see I have 2 other symptoms of that which are balance issues, and muscle cramps.

Any help and explanation would be so appreciated. Also, on the subject, I read here on the site a woman had those symptoms and began taking 50,000 IUs of D (it just said Vitamin D). Then when it miraculously helped, she just takes 10,000 IUs a day. I don't know if I can even find that much to take here in the US. Thanks much, Denise E.

Seasonal Affective Disorder ..SAD

I am totally convinced that I am suffering from SAD. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. I'm looking into getting a therapy light and also wondered if anyone had any suggestions on that. I've searched the internet and there are so many. I do supplement with vitamin D, magnesium, b complex and all the rest of the vitamins and minerals. I try to eat healthy most of the time and exercise (although I need to do more). I do miss the sunshine:(

5HTP and the light therapy will be hugely helpful for SAD.

Bill, thanks for the suggestions. I will enjoy reading the sites that you included in your post. I do have niacinamide. I'll get right on it. The B complex too. Thanks again for taking the time to help me out. It's really appreciated.

Thanks, Charity. That was a very sweet reply and so appropriate. We are having an extremely dark gloomy day today and I've just tried to keep in mind how very fortunate I am. And yes, the holidays can be an anxious time, but as I've gotten older, I've given up a lot of things I used to do and let the kids do them now. I do know, that after three or four dark days, it really can get to me and throw me into anxiety/panic attacks. My mood starts to go downhill in late October and get better every March. Thanks again for reminding me to smell the flowers.

Hi Valerie,

Thank you for your very informative post in 2017 about Vitamin D and the Bs. Could you tell me where you got your information? I'm studying and will soon implement Dr. Gominak's RightSleep method of supplementing with Vitamin D and the Bs and your information sounds exactly like hers!

High doses of Vit D will deplete your magnesium so, I would suggest magnesium chloride in liquid form. Add the suggested amount in a very large glass of water and sip it throughout the day to get maximum absorption and reduce chances of diarrhea. The hard pills generally are not absorbed well from what I've read. Good Luck.

Always check your vitamin D and blood calcium levels before supplementing. If you are 50 +- and your calcium is high, even just a little bit and vitamin D low, check parathyroid.com site BEFORE supplementing vitamin D. It is very important to exclude parathyroid tumor.

I found from repeated use, on and off, that higher doses of Vit D3 (1000 to 3000iu) results in a negative mood state... So instead I try to make an effort of getting around 10 to 15 minutes of summer sun daily.

Another lesson to myself to remember is that despite all the positive claims and current hype about a supplement or herb, one must listen to their body first.