I think it is rather unfair to say that the Vitamin D Council is a lobbying organization. If you believe this is true you could probably level the same charge against the Diabetes Hands Foundation. Nonetheless, you can either choose to believe the table or not, in either case there isn’t a universally accepted optima level. But should you be part of an at risk population you would be well served to keep your vitamin D levels higher rather than lower.
@lh378, your blood level is in the optimal range (at least 30 ng/mL is usually considered normal but up to 40-70 ng/mL may be best). If you have trouble maintaining adequate Vitamin D levels, 2000 IU (D3) is probably a good long-term maintenance dose. If you become deficient, it is usually recommended to take 5000 IU daily for 90 days, then return to the 2000 IU dose daily. I took only 800 IU for years and was still deficient. I’ve been unable to keep my blood level within the normal range without taking at least 2000 IU per day. To answer your question about a max dose, I wouldn’t suggest taking more than 5000 IU daily, unless it was prescribed by your doctor. It is a fat soluble vitamin, therefore stored in the body, but toxicity is rare.
Each physiology is individual and distinct, and what’s perfect for you may be horribly wrong for the person next to you. Like nearly everything else concerning diabetes, determining how much supplementation you require needs to be empirically based. In my case, as an example, the magic number seems to be 10,000. Any less and the lab numbers start dropping. But your pattern may be similar, or wildly different. Testing and then making adjustments as indicated by the results is the only sure way to get it right. Lab tests are a necessity.
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How many people take vitamin k2 with D3?
I understand wanting to stay healthy and have optimal absorption and use of the vitamin.
It’s an awful lot of supplements. Some of us take D, Magnesium, B, zinc, Fish Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Insulow, probiotics…etc. And some of us use oral meds and insulin too. Please don’t get me wrong - I’m not complaining. I’m wondering - how about a multi vitamin?
What about the multi vitamin approach, for example, Centrum, or Centrum for Men, or for Women or for over 55…etc or Costco multi vitamin.? The formulation of the multi vitamin may not be ideal. They seem to cover a range of vitamins.
What are your thoughts?
I don’t take a multi because they all have C and B6 which irritate me. I have stopped the D for now due to feeling worse with the increase. I think many people are unaware that you need the right amount of K2 with D.
It is not just people that are unaware of K2, but most medical professionals. A good article on this is by Aglaée Jacob, read other stuff by her. You can get plenty of K2 from dietary sources, particularly meat and organ meat (go liver!). But most people should be able to eat chicken, beef, bacon, eggs and ham and do fine. Pastured and grass fed meats have higher levels of K2. If you are a vegetarian this is a vitamin you should pay attention to, you could get very serious osteoporosis from having a K2 deficiency. The only vegetarian source of K2 that I am aware of is natto, which is an “acquired taste.”
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I LOVE natto. “Acquired” the taste back in the 70s when I discovered sushi. But you’re right, most people turn their nose up at it.
I stay away from multiples. Usually, they don’t have the dosage I need because nobody wants to swallow a pill that big AND I’m really picky about sources for vitamins… multiples tend not to come from organic sources.
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I’ve been using Pure Encapsulations Ultranutrient for several years now with good results.
Thanks Brian, I think vegetarians are ok if they eat eggs, dairy, cheese etc. Vegans may not be if they don’t eat Natto. Natto and all soy shouldn’t be eaten by people with thyroid disorders. Otherwise you can just supplement it. Osteoporosis is pretty complex with many potential causes, I think it’s more complicated than just a lack of vitamin K2. Also I read the Japanese study where K2 as mk-7 I think, or was it mk-4 helped build bone density and prevent fractures in people with osteoporosis- but people with blood clotting issues or who have had dvt /clots shouldn’t take large amounts of it, which you need for the preventative effect apparently, because all of the supplements that contain larger amounts say not to take them if you’re on a blood thinner such as warfarin. So clearly K2 also affects blood clotting.
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My understanding is that fermented or cooked soy products have less goitrogens that mess with your thyroid. Natto is highly fermented and you don’t eat lots of natto (trust me on this) so you would likely be fine. And you are right, osteoprosis is complex, it is hard to know whether K2 has any effect on your particular condition. There isn’t a K2 test, but I do think it is good to eat a varied diet and if you know you diet is almost totally deficient in K2 it might be good to get some from a known source occasionally.
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This is interesting. Five years ago, I started Vitamin D (Costco, 2500 iu, I think) after reading about defiencies. Four months later, I had my D level checked just to be safe. My result was 30. About two years later, I was diagnosed with celiac disease. I stopped all supplements and relied only on diet. My D levels are 60. Obviously, I am absorbing nutrients better on a gluten free diet. But I think my very healthy diet rich in fats and veggies is better than any supplement. Just my opinion, but we probably need to focus on improving our overall diet and reducing processed foods. The SAD diet is not working for so many reasons.
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Since many vitamins are actually fat soluble a low fat diet can actually lead to poor vitamin absorption. That being said I still had way low vitamin D tests even though I had been on a low carb high fat diet for years. I suspect there is just something about having D and vitamin D deficiencies. That being said, celiac is known damage the villi and cause poor nutrient absorption which may have been the cause of your low vitamin D.
Same here.
Thanks Brian,
Over at the thyroid site many people say NO SOY of any kind if you have any type of thyroid condition, and Natto being fermented makes no difference… Apparently it’s about more than goitrogens because some people feel they are ok in vegetables etc. if you are medicated, but not in large amounts or at all if you’re not. Each person has to judge how the foods affect them. I felt sick a few years back when I switched to soy milk so I stopped it.
If you need supplements there are one or two I found at amazon that apparently don’t use Natto as a source of K2. If you eat eggs/dairy/meat your diet probably won’t be deficient unless you have other things going on such as absorption issues. Many vegetables have K1 which can also be converted to K2.
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This thread has been an interesting read. I got my vitamin D level tested last week at my request (and cost), since it’s not covered here. Probably not surprisingly, my result was low. According to an online converter (since we use different units), my vitamin D was 19 ng/mL. I see my doctor this week, so will see what he says about it, if anything. Either way, I’m going to find a supplement that I can start taking. Not sure if I’ll have it re-checked, since it costs $65 each time I check it, but maybe in a year after taking a supplement.
Make sure the supplement is D3. Taking D2 can, counterintuitively, lower your Vitamin D level.
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. . . and in fact, most adults in the developed world are vitamin D deficient, not only PWD. There is no shortage of theories about the reasons why. My personal favorite is that we have been so conditioned to be afraid of skin cancer that we simply don’t get as much sun as previous generations did. Just a theory, one of many. In any event, it’s a fact that the majority of people are low.
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I wanted to get tested because I’ve read that low vitamin D can predispose one to developing autoimmune conditions and allergies. Not sure if that’s actually true or not, but I have problems with both. I don’t like pills and so I didn’t like the idea of taking a supplement without knowing if I actually needed it. I’m in Canada, and I’ve read something about the angle of the sun making it hard to get enough vitamin D up here.
Vitamin D plays a major role in so many physiological processes—carbohydrate metabolism is just one of a multitude—that it almost qualifies to be called a “wonder vitamin”. Being low has all sorts of ramifications.