Vitamin D studies 'inconsistant': doctors warn

AFP ^ | November 30, 2010 | Kerry Sheridan

[jjsheridan5]

One thing you may want to pay attention to is vitamin B intake. I was taking a multivitamin package, and I could not understand why I was feeling constantly nauseous. Through process of elimination, I realized it was the B complex that was the culprit. I didn’t know this, but apparently some people don’t handle Bs as well as others — it was playing havoc with my liver.

Other than that, you seem to have a good regimen. The only thing I would add is coconut oil. Great for cooking, and one of the best fats out there.

[Sprite518]

Thanks and yes sign of nauseous is your body telling you that you took too much. I had to slowly work up to where I am at.

Vitamin C seems to the be the only Vitamin that would make me nauseous. That is if I took it in a high doze. This was due to the high amount of naturally produced Hydrogen Peroxide. That whole crap about well you pee it out after 3 hours is bull according to Linus Pauling (Boopk name is How to Live Longer). He tested his urine and found out only between 20 to 25% was actually coming out.

[Logic n' Reason]

I wonder if the "concoction" you've put together would work for a male in the 60+ range??

Think so? Would you adjust it at all??

[dangerdoc]

I hope you don’t end up giving yourself a kidney stone with all that vitamin D.

[RnMomof7]

I am going to address this issue with a new endocrinologist ... I too wonder if there is a relationship with the thyroid or para thyroids

[Ladysmith]

The parathyroids’ main function, as I understand it, is to control the blood serum levels, which is the calcium in your blood (for others who may not know). Turns out that's REALLY critical. Two days after the second half of my thyroid was removed for cancer (one week following the first half's removal), I was in the emergency ward getting calcium IV’d into me.

The four parathyroids are connected to the thyroid and have their own blood supply. They can take a hit during the thyroid’s removal and take some time to recover. (Or they may not recover fully, which appears to be my case.) Two days after the second operation, I started to suffer from tetany and felt lousy. Thankfully, a nurse called to see how I was doing, found out, called my doctor who told me to get to emergency NOW. My veins collapsed from all the blood tests while they gave me the IV, trying to get my levels up to a safe level. My doctor came in to check on me and explained the levels I was at had me in a life-or-death situation.

Since then, I'm very cognizant of getting my calcium and vitamin D in and watch out for the physical symptoms that clues me in that I need to get more in. I keep Oscal with me at all times, just in case. Darn thing is, even when I think my levels should look pretty good, the blood tests will show I'm on the low side, bordering too low. It's a fight to get the levels I need in. Lots of milk, yogurt, and veggies with calcium are in my diet.

[Ladysmith]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chvostek_sign

One of the signs my blood serum levels are low. I can test myself and act accordingly. When my levels were so low that I was in ER, my hands and lips tingled like they were asleep - VERY annoying!, and my legs felt like that all the way through when I sat down.

[DollyCali]

bttt

[exDemMom]

Foods of animal origin are a good source of Vitamin D. So are a few minutes of sunshine every day.

All of the diseases of malnutrition stem from people not eating a balanced, varied diet, often because of their geographical location. Ricketts was caused by Vitamin D deficiency. Scurvy, caused by lack of Vitamin C, was a problem with sailors, who would spend months at sea without fresh produce. In many cases, the specific vitamin was discovered because of the disease its lack caused.

Iodine is a problem because it comes from seafood, and people who live inland may not have much access to seafood. Thus, iodine was introduced into salt to help prevent goiter. If you eat sea salt, it should have already have iodine in it.

For the majority of people, eating a balanced diet is sufficient to meet their vitamin and mineral needs. If you have a specific medical condition (as you indicate you do), then there may be need for specific supplements.

[Sprite518]

I don’t take Vitamin D except in my multi vitamins.

The important vitamins are B6,C and E in high doses. That pretty much eliminates heart attacks and cancer. Now you do need lots of water and Sea Salt to absorb the water and that it takes it easy on your kidneys.

At any rate, I learned a lot about health and really do not fear anything anymore.

[Sprite518]

You are right one size does not fit all. Each to their Own. If you want some guidance, then please read the following.

Linus Pauling,

http://www.amazon.com/How-Live-Longer-Feel-Better/dp/0870710966/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1291180737&sr=8-2

Earl Mindell

http://www.amazon.com/Earl-Mindells-Vitamin-Bible-Century/dp/0446607029/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291180777&sr=1-2

Kilmer McCully This is a great link about Homocysteine (the common denimominatior in our blood for heart attacks and cancer) and how B6 (aka Pyridoxine) dissolves it in your blood. We get it from the meats we eat. It’s the shots use to pump up the cows and chickens.

http://www.drpasswater.com/nutrition_library/homocysteine.html

Here is a big one for you. Multiple videos. I have watched all of them (about 40 hours) and the girl is a bit annoying, but knows her stuff. At least watch the first (Healing Praxis #1) video on water. It will be one of the best hours on learning you have ever spent.

http://www.thehealingpraxis.com/videos.html

Finally, here is a radio show for you. Robert Scott Bell. This guy is kind of annoying but funny. As a matter of fact he has a free republic link. Enjoy...

http://www.robertscottbell.com/

I hope this helps you out.

[Future Useless Eater]

Good points all...

I totally agree on the need to supplement with vitamin D3. Some things I have learned on the subject...

-If you have low blood levels of D you will be sick often, plus risk heart disease and cancer

-Conversely, if you know how to keep your blood levels of D up to summertime levels you should stay very healthy.

-most people who are sick are VERY low in D, even more true the older you get.

-vitamin D does MUCH more than just help keep calcium in our bones...
Among other things, it punches holes in the lipid (fat coating) of viruses, and makes them then vulnerable to destruction by your own immune system.

-vitamin D also acts like a librarian. It helps our cells access their dna library to lookup how to defeat various infections and viruses.

-most adults would do well with 4000 or 5000 IU per day in the winter, however everyone is different, so at first, study, and guess, then after 2 months pay for a blood test to see how you are doing.
If you succeeded in getting your blood "D" levels up to normal summertime levels, you've found the right doseage for you.

-you should take ONLY gel caps, since D requires fat to be absorbed, otherwise it goes mostly down the toilet.

-you should avoid getting your D from Cod LIver Oil. The reason is that C.L.O also contains large amounts of a dangerous form of vitamin A called Retinol. THat is the activated form, and it overwhelms your system and depresses the useability of the vitamin D in your system.
Vitamin A is safe if taken in the beta-carotene form. Vitamin A is rarely as critically low as D.

-D3 can help reverse calcified (hardened) arteries. -Another fat-soluble vitamin that may be even better at that is vitamin K2
(see vitaminK2.org and go to "scientific presentations" to watch their video)
If you have ANY osteoporosis in your family WATCH THOSE videos!

-the vitamin D called D3 (cholocalciferol) is good. D2 (ergocalciferol is junk). They add D2 to milk. and the prescription vitamin D pills are usually D2.

-Avoid "Nature Made" brand of Vitamin D. It has been repeatedly shown to be worthless.
http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/is-it-or-isnt-it-vitamin-d.html

-As we age, our bodies get worse and worse at converting the sun to vitamin D

-(this one is uniquely my OWN opinion) due our body's loss of sun-conversion ability as we age, our livers recognize our dangerously low levels of D, and work overtime to MANUFACTURE more cholesterol.
The reason our livers do that is because cholesterol is needed to manufacture D, and by making more cholesterol, and pumping it out to our skin, the body hopes to cause more sun-conversion.

-most people on statins don't need them. Vitamin D does an even better job.

-unless you are a man, and under 50, AND have had a heart attack already, statistically you will live longer by REFUSING your pill-pusher-doctor's advice to take a statin.

-Statins somehow boost our D levels slightly. Much cheaper to just take it yourself and avoid the side effects

-Statins also mimic the very cheap amino acid L-arginine. Taking the later, is safer and more effective

-best source for toxicity info or general vitamin D info is at http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/news.shtml

-And Don't believe all 'they' tell you about high cholesterol being bad.
--The TOTAL cholesterol number is nearly worthless.
--HDL is good, (and eating MORE MEAT and LESS BREAD will raise that.)
--LDL they say is bad, but that is decieving.
--It is really SMALL DENSE LDL (sLDL) that is dangerous.
--A different type of LDL is LARGE FLUFFY LDL, and that is harmless.
--Guess what you get LOTS of if you eat lots of GRAINS? It will be mostly the dangerous sLDL.
--GUess what you get LOTS of if you avoid grains and eat lots of tasty animals? Yes, mostly safe fluffy LDL,

-There are new studies being pushed now that say that more than 'just a little' Vitamin D can be dangerous and increases certain cancer risks.
Those studies have the same flaw. The countries in the northern latitudes like FINLAND, that get their vitamin D from Cod Liver or Cod Liver oil, are damaging their VItamin D blood levels because of the dangerous Retinol that is also in that Cod Liver Oil.

-These studies seem to be paid-for by the statin industry, since they are so glaringly bad and obvious.

Here is a rebuttal: What the Institute of Medicine SHOULD have said

[RnMomof7]

Thank you thank you

I am saving this post

[Liberty Ship]

I’ll add this. When I raised my supplemental D3 intake from the 400IU in my multiple vitamin to 5,400IU/day, within a week my blood pressure went from an average of 140/95 to an average of 120/80. I have heard of similar results from others on the Web.

Society overlooks the fact that D is not exactly a vitamin, it is more of a hormone. We call it a vitamin because that’s what they called it when they discovered it, no knowing as much about it as we do now.

[tutstar]

me too. Santa how about a pool heater? Lol

[Sprite518]

Good and interesting post. The Big 3 for me are

1)B6,

2) C

3) E (the multi-tocopherols (Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta and not just the single Alpha that you find in most stores)

Oh and compound that with Flaxseed Oil and Fish Oil.

http://www.essortment.com/all/whatisflaxsee_pfy.htm

Regarding the entire debate about Cholesterol is a myth IMHO. Our bodies produce it for a reason. This is because the older our arteries walls become the weaker they become. This is why our bodies produce cholesterol to strengthens them. What produces a heart attack is the oxidation of your fat cells. That why for instance we take anti-oxidants. What triggers the oxidation ( I can’t recall the name) but it comes from your liver. According to medical establishment there is no treatment, but from what I hear that is not true. The combination of B6,C, and (multi-tocopherols) E brings that number down. That is one of the main reason I take this combination.

I have heard of people dying from heart attack with clean arteries. Remember that runner in the 1970’s that started the whole running thing in our country. He ran 10 miles a day and died of a Heart Attack at the age of 52. It’s the oxidation is what does it, and that is triggered by, can’t recall the name, from your liver. The goal is to keep that number as low as possible.

Just keep thing mind too. Too much of anything (including vitamins, herbs, etc) over a long period of time is not good for you.

[Wonder Warthog]

"Anyone eating a balanced diet does not need supplements. Pill popping is a rather new phenomenon—humans certainly did not evolve to require nutritional supplements to survive."

Uh, humans originated in equatorial Africa, where there is LOTS of sunlight. During most of the evolutionary cycle, clothes were not available (not invented yet). So the protohumans DID evolve to need a relatively high level of vitamin D. Migration to colder climes (with much less intense sunlight) resulted in deficiencies, which evolution attempted to counter with less melanin in the skin, but folks were still spending most of their time in the sun. With the advent of civiliation, what with clothes, heated buildings, and the move of most people off of farms, it is impossible for "some" humans to get adequate Vitamin D from natural sources.

The same appears to be true of Vitamin C. Most animals synthesize it internally. Humans do not, but the evolutionary explanation as to why is less clear-cut than for Vitamin D.

[Logic n' Reason]

Excellent information...

I'm doing D3 (5,000 IU) plus a multi-vit (Centrum Silver or Ultra) daily. However, I can't remember the brand I use for the D3 - I'll check that. I bought the stuff at Sam's cause it's cheaper than at Walgreens or Wally World.

Thanks again....

[exDemMom]

Deficiencies in our distant evolutionary past which were corrected for by evolution hardly affect modern humans.

Clothing has been worn for at least 10,000 years. So, that, too, is hardly a factor with modern humans—it’s part of our evolutionary picture, as is eating cooked food.

Pill-popping, otoh, has only been around for a few decades. Obviously, the human race survived this long without it. I could see how pill popping would have an effect on our evolution—where our bodies would increase efficiency of ridding ourselves of these excesses of chemicals, to the point where it would be impossible to maintain physiologically healthy levels of vitamins and minerals without popping supplements. But we have not reached that point yet. Medical disorders aside, either you are getting enough of the necessary vitamins and minerals in a healthy, balanced diet, or you’re eating an unbalanced diet that no amount of pill popping is going to rescue.

It is incredibly difficult to find pure information about vitamins and minerals; almost all of the information touting their health benefits is published by supplement manufacturers. They’re not exactly an unbiased source.

[Magic Fingers]

“-you should take ONLY gel caps, since D requires fat to be absorbed, otherwise it goes mostly down the toilet.”

I disagree. I take Life Extension’s dry capsule with either a meal, fish oil, or both, and have a winter time OH3D level of 75.