Vitamin D anybody?

[klondike]

I saw a YouTube video when a doctor (maybe of course it was YouTube) was saying that the accepted supplementary dose had been miscalculated some years back. This had been pointed out by another study but never corrected. The video was called the big vitamin D mistake and I found a report with the same name...

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5541280/

That being a US government site makes this seem more official than YouTube. I haven't trawled the whole thing and as the error was {predictably} in statistics. Now to me statistics is all voodoo so I'd have no idea what the fuss is about but her are some excerpts

First paragraph probably for practitioners of the dark arts
Since 10 000 IU/d is needed to achieve 100 nmol/L [9], except for individuals with vitamin D hypersensitivity, and since there is no evidence of adverse effects associated with serum 25(OH)D levels <140 nmol/L, leaving a considerable margin of safety for efforts to raise the population-wide concentration to around 100 nmol/L, the doses we propose could be used to reach the level of 75 nmol/L or preferably 100 nmol/L. Of course, these recommended doses can be individualized based on dietary and sun exposure habits and the latitude of the country, and they can also be adjusted according to body mass index, age, and skin color, with obese, elderly, and dark-skinned people needing higher doses.

Closer to understandable
More importantly, according to the Endocrine Society's clinical practice guidelines, doses up to 1000 IU/d for infants up to 6 months, 1500 IU/d for infants from 6 months to 1 year, 2500 IU/d for children aged 1-3 years, 3000 IU/d for children aged 4-8 years, and 4000 IU/d for everyone over 8 years can be given safely without medical supervision just to prevent vitamin D deficiency, while higher doses may be needed to correct hypovitaminosis D.

And

CONCLUSION
Unfortunately, medicine took a very long time to realize that vitamin D is not simply a vitamin that prevents rickets. For that purpose, 400-600 IU/d may be enough. However, we know today that vitamin D is a powerful nuclear receptor-activating hormone of critical importance, especially to the immune system. With the available data mentioned above, the proposed doses would probably suffice to maintain vitamin D levels around or over 75-100 nmol/L, with practically zero risk of toxicity. Undeniably, further studies are needed to clarify the optimal supplementation of vitamin D, although it is uncertain whether a universal recommended dietary allowance is feasible. Meanwhile, actions are urgently needed to protect the global population from the threats posed by vitamin D deficiency.

My views.
I usually reckon we have survived a couple of million years without vitamin pills. OTOH there are a lot of things that impact our health that medicines of one sort or another overcome.

The clincher for me is that Amazon is awash with vitamin D pills offering 4,000 IU which is apparently 100ug and several multiples of what a bottle of multivitamins I have says is the recommended daily dose. That means this must be well known.

The final clincher is that bottles of 400 cost less than a tenner so I ordered some.

[muddy]

Sit out in the sun when there is any .

[JBR]

Marge keeps reminding me to take a Vitamin D pill every day.  If I remember, I put one in along with all my other pills.  I suppose she knows what is best, so I am happy to continue.

[Vlad]

Wife and I take one daily (NHS recommended dose) along with our medications

[Raven]

Before I took ill 99% of my life was spent outside so I didn't need them. Hoping things will let me return to this in the New Year. I feel tired and sluggish the now but doc says it's the op.

[Mups]

Klondike,  do be careful buying Vitamins from Amazon,  and be absolutely sure they are from reputable people. 

Only a couple of weeks back I read about people buying by price instead of comparing the ingredients.
They say 'cheap'  is usually cheap for a reason.

The article that comes to mind was about people buying cheap meds and flea treatments for animals,  but I don't doubt for one minute, that the same unscrupulous people would also sell human meds too.

Dogs were becoming very ill.    Some collapsed and became emergencies.
When analyzed,  some of these medications contained all sorts of rubbish,  including (would you believe) Arsenic!!

Personally, I would always compare ingredients too,  before I bought anything I was going to swallow.  Buy from a reputable source.

I have always bought from either Healthspan  . . . . . https://www.healthspan.co.uk/

or -

Nature's Best . . . .  https://www.naturesbest.co.uk/?src=GONATOE0C&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=182272028&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvZms7LGxkQMVoJ1QBh2rJDcREAAYASAAEgLNOfD_BwE

Also, with buying from people like this,  you can  ring them up for advice too,  they are very good like that.    You can't do that with Amazon.

I am just about to send for some more Omega capsules. 

[JBR]

Re. Mups' comment

I find that Amazon are now selling on behalf of other people, some of whom seem unreliable.
I ordered some paint for Marge, which was never delivered.  The company selling it is called
bargainartistshop

The item has never arrived, so I looked up reviews of this company and found that several people have found them unreliable.  I contacted Amazon and they are now dealing with it.  The cost was only a little over £8, but it isn't the money; I refuse to be seen off by criminals!

[Mups]

Re. Mups' comment

I find that Amazon are now selling on behalf of other people, some of whom seem unreliable.
I ordered some paint for Marge, which was never delivered.  The company selling it is called
bargainartistshop

The item has never arrived, so I looked up reviews of this company and found that several people have found them unreliable.  I contacted Amazon and they are now dealing with it.  The cost was only a little over £8, but it isn't the money; I refuse to be seen off by criminals!

Quite right too, JBR.
It has been on the news a few times lately about all the scammers leading up to Christmas.


For what it's worth,  here is a piece of advice from the NHS website:

Taking too many vitamin D supplements over a long period of time can cause too much calcium to build up in the body (hypercalcaemia). This can weaken the bones and damage the kidneys and the heart.

If you choose to take vitamin D supplements, 10 micrograms a day will be enough for most people.

Do not take more than 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) of vitamin D a day as it could be harmful. This applies to adults, including pregnant and breastfeeding women and the elderly, and children aged 11 to 17 years.

[klondike]

I always like to get stuff shipped by Amazon but the vast bulk of it is sold by others. There are umpteen different ones on there all at similar prices. It isn't just one that is cheap.

I will check the label carefully for arsenic in the ingredients. All the stuff about dosages are in the paper in the US government website I linked to.