Vitamin D FAQ :)

[TrinMama]

is taking Vit D daily all year a good idea? I mean, we're spending at least an hour outside now that is sunny and warm... Would it still be good to supplement?

[Niphredil]

Originally Posted by TrinMama

is taking Vit D daily all year a good idea? I mean, we're spending at least an hour outside now that is sunny and warm... Would it still be good to supplement?

I cut out my kiddos D for the summer as I don't know their levels and they get a ton of sun. I still take mine because I know I am very deficient.

[butterflyqueen71]

Is there such thing as getting "too much" Vit D?

[TrinMama]

Originally Posted by butterflyqueen71

Is there such thing as getting "too much" Vit D?

There is a toxicity, but I read yesterday that getting too much Vit D in America is like being in a desert and worrying about drowning.

[Zooey]

Originally Posted by TrinMama

There is a toxicity, but I read yesterday that getting too much Vit D in America is like being in a desert and worrying about drowning.

This.

I have supplemented Vit D for years before doctors were saying that we should, simply because after 5 minutes in the sunlight, I start to get sunburn. So I just have done it on my own.
When my doctor said that as a postmenopausal woman, I needed to supplement, I said "Good idea!", and continued on as I always have (except now I don't have to remember to not mention it at an appointment).
I get some of both D2 & D3, but try to let the D2 be the "incidental" stuff. And my favorite yogurt (Stony Field) is supplemneted with D3!!

[Peridot]

Thanks so much for this thread! I needed this info!

[butterflyqueen71]

Originally Posted by peridot

Thanks so much for this thread! I needed this info!

What about sunscreen? I'm AA so it takes me much, much longer in the sun to absorb Vit D than a caucasion person. And from what I understand, or at least I thought I read somewhere that sunscreen hinders Vit D absorption. So I am less stressed about putting sunscreen on me or dd because I figure we need to be able to get Vit D. in our system. She is biracial so lighter skinned than me, and tans really well but I feel like she's probably not gettin enough Vit D either...so why bother using sunscreen?

Thoughts?

[cobluegirl]

Well there are a few posts in the suncreen thread that take CLO and use coconut oil so they are protected against the bad rays of the sun but get the benefits of it too

[SamRose]

Originally Posted by butterflyqueen71

What about sunscreen? I'm AA so it takes me much, much longer in the sun to absorb Vit D than a caucasion person. And from what I understand, or at least I thought I read somewhere that sunscreen hinders Vit D absorption. So I am less stressed about putting sunscreen on me or dd because I figure we need to be able to get Vit D. in our system. She is biracial so lighter skinned than me, and tans really well but I feel like she's probably not gettin enough Vit D either...so why bother using sunscreen?

Thoughts?

I think our kids are similar in skin tone. (I know they're similar in ethnic background ). Unless my kids R going to be in direct sunlight for an extended period of time, I dont do sunscreen. I'll put it on their cheeks, foreheads, and ear tips if we go to the Zoo all day, or on the rare occasion we'd be out for hours at a pool Id put it on the exposed skin of their upper bodies. But while out and about in the summer, or for just playing at the park or in our yard, darting in and out of shady spots, I dont want to hinder their Vit D absorption. Unless there is a chance of sunburn, why bother?

[Soliloquy]

Ditto. I only use sunscreen when there is a risk of sunburn. My kids are all fair skin w/ blue eyes so I have to gradually increase their sun exposure but by mid summer they get a lot of sun w/ no sunscreen. I use sunscreen when they'll be swimming for a long time.

And sunscreen DOES prevent the body from making vit d. . It's one of the reasons for the rising cancer rate.
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[DancingWithElves]

this is a good time to resurrect this thread.

wanted to add that my lovely tube of sunscreen got no action this year my kids are darker-skinned, and since I've been on very antioxidant-rich diet, i hardly hardly ever burn.

[DancingWithElves]

just got my levels back.

23

not cool

off to chug some supplements

[julbug]

I'm just seeing this thread. I'm vitamin D deficient and my doctor has me on the little green capsules that somebody posted a link to a picture of. Should I not be taking those? I've taken three (one a week) so far. She specifically had me on these because it is a super high dose and then said I could go with something over the counter after 10 weeks of this.

[DancingWithElves]

american journal of clinical nutrition:
Quote:
The case against ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) as a vitamin supplement1,2

Lisa A Houghton and Reinhold Vieth 1 From the School of Nutrition and Dietetics, Acadia University, Wolfville, Canada (LAH); the Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada (RV); and the Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada (RV)

Supplemental vitamin D is available in 2 distinct forms: ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) and cholecalciferol (vitamin D3). Pharmacopoeias have officially regarded these 2 forms as equivalent and interchangeable, yet this presumption of equivalence is based on studies of rickets prevention in infants conducted 70 y ago. The emergence of 25-hydroxyvitamin D as a measure of vitamin D status provides an objective, quantitative measure of the biological response to vitamin D administration. As a result, vitamin D3 has proven to be the more potent form of vitamin D in all primate species, including humans. Despite an emerging body of evidence suggesting several plausible explanations for the greater bioefficacy of vitamin D3, the form of vitamin D used in major preparations of prescriptions in North America is vitamin D2. The case that vitamin D2 should no longer be considered equivalent to vitamin D3 is based on differences in their efficacy at raising serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, diminished binding of vitamin D2 metabolites to vitamin D binding protein in plasma, and a nonphysiologic metabolism and shorter shelf life of vitamin D2. Vitamin D2, or ergocalciferol, should not be regarded as a nutrient suitable for supplementation or fortification.
i found a few other studies showing that d2 works for shorter periods of time, is at least 2 if not 3 times less potent, has failed to prevent fractures as compared with d3, etc. etc.
no solid medical info on petrification though.

---------- Post added at 09:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:46 PM ----------

h ttp://www.pharmer.org/images/domestic/ergocalciferol-vitamin-d2-pa-140

that's what i said to Crystal above in the thread about taking d2.
your doc is most likely thinking of the dosage he wants you to be on. if you want to stop the little green pills, i would communicate to him that you insist on taking d3 and not d2 and ask what is his recommended dose, and you will have to clarify you do not mind that your insurance does not cover it (which it won't).

[cobluegirl]

so what is Vit d ( no number)