D3-The Sunshine Vitamin

[karter]

There has been alot of talk in the past on Vitamin D (not on here) and the current research has been on Vitamin D2 and D3. It is being suggested that D3 can help deal with some degenerative disease, helps with the uptake of calcium into bones and most astonishingly it can help counteract SAD ( Seasonal Affective Disorder) as Vitamin D naturally comes from the transformation that occurs within the skin from sunlight. Oh and it also strengthens the immune system. There are experts around the world banging on how D is very important for human health and pharmaceautical companies do not want to get involved with contributing to clinical trials on D as it is very cheap to manufacture and probably not worth their while. The research continues.

The dosages available are from 600 IU to 5000IU and some experts are saying that 20 000IU should be consumed daily which would be equal of exposure to 20 minutes of summer sunlight. 20 000IU seems high as a supplement . Vitamin D is also available from oily fish and D2 is a vegan source.

Does anybody here use this sunshine Vit and if so does it make you smile and chirpy as you are normally in the spring and summertime? Who knows, if people answer this post it could contribute as anecdotal evidence, if there are any institutions reading the edf.

A recent article below, i tried attaching it as a link but it wouldn't have it, so if you would like to read it, copy & paste. Admin?

VitD

[Brendan]

VitD

[karter]

Thanks for doing that Brendan, safari browser wouldn't let it happen but sorted now, more info on Dr Paul Clayton's website if anybody is interested in the world of researching health and stuff.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

I'm sure I recently read somewhere that redheads convert Vit D better than other colourings. I've never suffered SAD - just vicious depression all the year round. Would be interesting to see if consuming more Vit D would eradicate that.

[bignumber5]

There are experts around the world banging on how D is very important for human health and pharmaceautical companies do not want to get involved with contributing to clinical trials on D as it is very cheap to manufacture and probably not worth their while.

Slight misinterpretation of the role of Vit D, but happy to clarify:

Vitamin D is one of the primary mechanisms of maintaining a stable level of calcium in the body, by regulating how much we absorb, pee out and turnover from bone. Both D2 and D3 are formed naturally in the body following exposure to UV light, so we get our fill by making our own and by eating things that have already made it. The daily need of vit D in a human being is roughly 5mcg/day, which would translate roughly to 200iu/day of synthetic Vit D, rising to 400iu when over 50 and 600iu when over 70 respectively. This is enough to avoid the consequences of deficiency (rickets in children, osteomalacia in adults - essentially, not enough calcium in the bones, making them weaker), and in the UK both of these conditions are pretty rare.

Crucially, however, Vit D is one of the vitamins that you can have too much of: more than 10 times the RDA (so >2000iu/day for most of us) over a prolonged period is enough to increase your chances of having too much calcium zinging around in your body, of which there are potentially dangerous consequences. Hypercalcaemia can cause disturbances in the way your gut absorbs other things, it can play merry hell with your blood pressure, your kidneys, and can actually cause depression through chemical imbalance in the blood supplying the brain. It can start to deposit in lumps causing kidney stones and various other things, and it can bring about abnormal heart rhythms.

This dangerously high level of Vit D is a level that you can never really achieve through diet and sunlight alone (unless you have some other disease process going on that throws the system off-kilter). That's why the big-pharma aren't very interested in making a Vit D supersupplement, and why nobody should really be interested in taking one. All we need do is get some sun (without burning, of course ;-) - this doesn't mean sunbathe, just go outside occasionally!) and make sure that we get a good dietary intake of vitamin D.

SAD is a whole different ballpark. Yes, it's related to sunlight exposure and lack thereof in the winter months, but as far as I'm aware it's got no known connection to Vit D per se. I am more than happy to be corrected if that's not the case.

edit for typos

[mockney piers]

Thanks BN5, very interesting and enlightening, no pun intended.....well, just an eeency bit.

[dulwichmum]

Karter sweetie,

You don't happen to have a shop on Lordship Lane, choc full of vitamin D supplements to offload do you (bats eyelashes)?

[KalamityKel]

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[karter]

Hey bignumber5, thank you for your contribution to this and yes i would quite agree that high levels of any fat soluble vitamin could be bad over a long period of time, however these experts are claiming, with the new research, that Vitamin D3 is essential in human health, the website that you are quoting from mentions Vitamin D and in many cases trials are in labs and old school. ( I hear Huguenot coming to ask for stats). I am researching this for personal reasons and know 2 people that are taking 20 000 IU's daily and they feel great, happy and have no cold symptoms to date. I on the other hand have a stinking cold so maybe i should be taking this myself now. Not disagreeing with what you have posted as all opinions are welcome but nobody yet has come forward stating whether they are taking this Vitamin in particular, for research purpose. Big American supplement companies are manufacturing high dose D3 supplements.

KK, good mate, i will explain this when i see you as it's a bit long winded.

DM, no need to bat your eyelashes, i have stated in the past that i am a local businessman, and own several properties on LL and suurounding areas and like to contribute to the community, I don't have choc loads of Vit D supplements as you have suggested but if you are feeling a bit sad i can probably get a free bottle for you if you play nice.

Thank you and good night.:)

[KalamityKel]

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