What's your vitamin D level?

[Topaz]

Some may not know what their vitamin D level is, it does cost more than a regular blood test, but most people's levels on this vitamin are very low or don't exists. For the last couple years, I have been listening to a doctor out of the US who is a GP and a NP (natural practitioner)and she says it helps her to have the knowledge of both and treats her patience accordingly. She has always said this vitamin D is essential and takes it herself. I've heard other NP say they take 10,0000 units per day. I myself take 1000 and it does help level my blood sugar. I'm sure the lobbyists for the drug companies have their opinions in this research but did you know that all medications produced by the drug companies start off with a natural ingredients in the man-made produce? http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/vitamin-d-panel-triples-recommended-dose/article1818047/

[Michael Hardner]

My doctor recommended 1000 units a day, which I take. Not sure if it has any effect but this is a new thing in Canada, I hear, and many doctors are starting to push for it.

Why not ? Vitamin D is not expensive at all.

[RB]

My doctor recommended 1000 units a day, which I take. Not sure if it has any effect but this is a new thing in Canada, I hear, and many doctors are starting to push for it.

Why not ? Vitamin D is not expensive at all.

My kid recommends 1000 IU per day - she also religiously follows her own directions. The chant is Cod Liver Oil plus some sunshine. I recall getting vitamins for grandma - now it seems everyone is on the bandwagon when it comes to those vitamins.

[Shwa]

My kid recommends 1000 IU per day - she also religiously follows her own directions. The chant is Cod Liver Oil plus some sunshine. I recall getting vitamins for grandma - now it seems everyone is on the bandwagon when it comes to those vitamins.

Vitamin B12 is pretty good too in combination with the D, especially in the winter.

[Topaz]

This GP, NP I listen to also said the best time to get Vitamin D outside is between 1-3PM, when most doctors tell us to stay out of the sun, because of the burn we can get. For the winter, I'm especially taking vitamin C to boost my immune system to fight off colds and flu. I wish more of our doctors we both NP and GP to help thier patience and the side effects of man-made drugs, that some people have.

[wyly]

sunshine is a very poor source of Vitamin D...even people in tropical regions have Vitamin D deficiencies...food or pills is the best source...

[M.Dancer]

You have to be careful not combine vitamins B,A and D.

[M.Dancer]

A friend of mine, if he has been out drinking always takes vitamins C, A and B

[bill_barilko]

I take a multivitamin daily-it's a sure fire way to inoculate oneself against fads.

[Guest TrueMetis]

sunshine is a very poor source of Vitamin D...even people in tropical regions have Vitamin D deficiencies...food or pills is the best source...

Well shit that explains how we got our vitamin D from the sun for thousands of years. Most food has very little vitamin D unless it's been added. So they aren't the best sources they just preferable because most people don't go outside very much anymore.

[RB]

sunshine is a very poor source of Vitamin D...even people in tropical regions have Vitamin D deficiencies...food or pills is the best source...

[M.Dancer]

Most food has very little vitamin D unless it's been added..

Aside from fish and eggs...and meat..mushrooms

[RB]

people in the tropics are darker, to get the required amounts of D they have to stay in the sun lot longer vs a North American white - that might explain a deficiency

Click here: Why Black People Need More Vitamin D

Edited November 30, 2010 by RB

[Guest TrueMetis]

Aside from fish and eggs...and meat..mushrooms

All of which consists of small portions of most peoples diets. And you mean fatty fish and red meat. (My understanding is non-red mean and non-fatty fish also contain vitamin D just not in large amounts)

[wyly]

Well shit that explains how we got our vitamin D from the sun for thousands of years. Most food has very little vitamin D unless it's been added. So they aren't the best sources they just preferable because most people don't go outside very much anymore.

sunlight makes little or no difference,...as i posted earlier vitamin D deficiencies are found in tropical regions where there is no shortage of sunlight...and in the arctic the Inuit survived with very little or no sunlight for part of the year and kept themselves covered for protection from insects during the summer, they attained their vitamin d through their diet...there are many foods rich in vitamin d, fish, eggs, dairy products, mushrooms crustaceans, mollusks, soy... Edited November 30, 2010 by wyly

[wyly]

people in the tropics are darker, to get the required amounts of D they have to stay in the sun lot longer vs a North American white - that might explain a deficiency

Click here: Why Black People Need More Vitamin D

rickets is found everywhere there is poor diet regardless how much sunlight is available...

[Guest TrueMetis]

sunlight makes little or no difference,...as i posted earlier vitamin D deficiencies are found in tropical regions where there is no shortage of sunlight...and in the arctic the Inuit survived with very little or no sunlight for part of the year and kept themselves covered for protection from insects during the summer, they attained their vitamin d through their diet...there are many foods rich in vitamin d, fish, eggs, dairy products, mushrooms crustaceans, mollusks, soy...

Sunlight has been the source of vitamin D throughout human history. The foods you list either weren't available at all in the past or were only available to people living in certain areas. This is why people have dark skin in places that get a lot of sun, it slows done vitamin D production otherwise they would get to much, it's also why many really dark skinned individuals get deficiencies when they move where there isn't a much sun. The reason people aren't getting their vitamin D from sunlight is they are inside most of the time, and the Inuit are an exception not the rule.

Most of the food you listed shouldn't be eaten in large amount or in the cases of mollusks, crustaceans and soy don't contain much vitamin D anyway. As M dancer posted the only real sources of vitamin D found in food naturally are eggs, fish, meat, and mushrooms and with fish and meat it's specifically fatty fish and red meat. Soy and many dairy products have vitamin D added to them.

What foods provide vitamin D?

Only a few foods naturally have vitamin D. The best source is fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and mackerel. Beef liver, cheese, egg yolks, and mushrooms provide smaller amounts. You might be able to get recommended amounts of vitamin D by eating a variety of foods with plenty of fortified milk and fatty fish.

Almost all milk in the United States is fortified with 400 IU of vitamin D per quart. Vitamin D is also added to some breakfast cereals and brands of orange juice, yogurt, margarine, and soy beverages (check the product labels).

Can I get vitamin D from the sun?

The skin makes vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. But when out in the sun for more than a few minutes, wear protective clothing and use sunscreen (with an SPF of 8 or more) to lower the risk of skin cancer. In the winter months in the northern half of the United States, the sun is not strong enough for the skin to make vitamin D.

If you avoid the sun or cover your body with sunscreen or clothing, make sure you get enough vitamin D from food or take a supplement. When you're indoors, sunlight on your skin coming through window glass is not strong enough to make vitamin D.

My link

[Moonlight Graham]

Last year i saw a survey of about 10 doctors and the newspaper asked them individually what supplements they take, if any. All of them said they took a vitamin D supplement, i think a few took a multivitamin too, but there wasn't much else they took. i was surprised.

I can't recall the amount of vitamin D they took though, but it varied. it wasn't anything like 10,000.

[bjre]

My doctor recommended 1000 units a day, which I take. Not sure if it has any effect but this is a new thing in Canada, I hear, and many doctors are starting to push for it.

Why not ? Vitamin D is not expensive at all.

The gov use your tax dollars to sell drugs for the medical industry.

The family doctors recommend Vitamin D to many people without doing any check.

You don't know if that will have some side effect someday.

The family doctors don't know that either.

They just sell it for profit.

That is the way where your tax dollars are wasting.

[bloodyminded]

The gov use your tax dollars to sell drugs for the medical industry.

The family doctors recommend Vitamin D to many people without doing any check.

You don't know if that will have some side effect someday.

The family doctors don't know that either.

They just sell it for profit.

That is the way where your tax dollars are wasting.

Personally, I believe the current brouahaha is a Western plot to undermine the Chinese government.

[Pliny]

I don't know what my Vitamin D level is but I take 800 IUs per day in the form of Halibut liver oil. So that's vitamin A and D together. I take vitamin E and C. Not much else. I take occasionally a fizz drink, called Baywood fizz (Available at health food stores) of Calcium-magnesium but try to keep my calcium intake from sources other than green vegetables to a minimum. I definitely do not take straight calcium supplements and minimize my dairy consumption.

The Inuit ate lots of fish so probably got enough vitamin D from fish oil. I don't know how much vitamin D is in Seal oil but I imagine there is some, and fish and seal were a large part of their winter diet.

[bjre]

Some family doctors just using their time payed by tax to sell drugs for the company Market America (Isotonix). Not only Vitamin D, but also OPC-3, they have show shelves in the waiting room for the drug company.

[Radsickle]

Some say Vitamin D is the most important, some say it's B. But does anyone know why I can't find the 2,000 IU capsules of Vitamin D anymore? Some say it's a conspiracy...

Is it true Health Canada recommends only 600 IU of Vitamin D per day? Is that due to pharmaceutical lobbyists infecting our country? Lobbyists who's employers want to sell less vitamins and more of the expensive drugs?

[Radsickle]

The gov use your tax dollars to sell drugs for the medical industry.

The family doctors recommend Vitamin D to many people without doing any check.

You don't know if that will have some side effect someday.

The family doctors don't know that either.

They just sell it for profit.

That is the way where your tax dollars are wasting.

Are you a private health care lobbyist?

Because Vitamin D is the least expensive drug a family doctor could recommend.

Some family doctors just using their time payed by tax to sell drugs for the company Market America (Isotonix). Not only Vitamin D, but also OPC-3, they have show shelves in the waiting room for the drug company.

... and cynicism about our tax-payer-funded health care only helps the private companies move in and ruin everything.

Edited December 4, 2010 by Radsickle

[Pliny]

Some say Vitamin D is the most important, some say it's B. But does anyone know why I can't find the 2,000 IU capsules of Vitamin D anymore? Some say it's a conspiracy...

Is it true Health Canada recommends only 600 IU of Vitamin D per day? Is that due to pharmaceutical lobbyists infecting our country? Lobbyists who's employers want to sell less vitamins and more of the expensive drugs?

It used to be that Cod Liver oil always had a combination of 10,000 IUs of vitamin A and 400 IUs of vitamin D. Halibut Liver oil used to be 10,000 IUs of vitamin A and, I think it was 1000 IUs of vitamin D.

I can't find that anymore. Halibut liver oil now comes in the same values as Cod liver oil.

I would like a higher dosage of Vitamin D but can't find it. I do think that is odd.

I know Codex Alimentarius, adopted as the regulatory document regarding vitamins and dosages in Europe has tried to make it's way to North America but has not yet been successful. Hopefully, it won't.