Type one and vitamins

Hi @Tylers73

Did your doctor advise you to take vitamins? If so, it sounds like advice to take a multivitamin, but doctors are usually pretty specific. Please get some clarity if it was from a doctor - vitamins and their dosages are very different.

If you are feeling run down, and suspect a deficiency, from personal experience I can tell you it was B12 and iron for me.

Who actually advised you to take the vitamins?
You should be getting all your vitamins and minerals from your diet.

CarbsRok said:

Who actually advised you to take the vitamins?
You should be getting all your vitamins and minerals from your diet.

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The one area I'd say this isn't true is D3. A significant portion of the U.K. Population have very low D3 levels. I'm one of them, and had to take a supplement to bring this up.


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Tylers73 said:

Can anyone advise me pls. I need to take some vitamins especially with vitamin d. I have been very run down and have been advised to take vitamins thank you


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Over 70% of US and UK population are deficient in D3, K2 and A.

Due largely to the a western diet of processed rubbish and avoidance of "real" foods.

Even the good stuff co rains far less vit and mins than it did a generation ago due to intensive farming processes.

The three I have listed should be taken in combination and help each other in terms of body and nutritional assimilation.

Ivor Cummins a superb researcher and presenter has a great video focusing in all you need to know about this and was posted on here.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/index.php?posts/1193381/

I take 2000 d3 in winter and 1000 in summer. I took 3000 a day for 3 months to bring it up.
I use Natures Answer or source natures drops. Just a few drops on my BF avocado. D3 should be taken with a fatty meal and never after lunch. It is the sunshine vitamin and will keep you awake.

@Tylers73 I had to think about your question overnight.

There are so many causes of feeling run down. When was the last time your doctor checked your thyroid? checked you for anemia? checked your B12 and iron levels? checked you vitamin D levels? Also, do you have a hard time digesting food? Do you have chronic problems with constipation or loose stools?

A good place to start is to see your doctor for consultation and lab work.

All that said, taking a few vitamins can help you feel better if you're feeling badly due to eating a diet poor in whole plant foods. Once you're feeling better you can focus on improving the quality of your diet. But sometimes diet's not the problem, rather it's your bodies inability to properly digest and absorb the nutrients from the food you're eating.

A good place to start is to take a good quality multivitamin, and B-complex.

If you decide to take vitamin D, something most if not all diabetics should do preferably by checking your D level first, I agree with Kevin, it's important to also take vitamin D3's partners, vitamin A (cod liver oil), vitamin D3, vitamin K2, and I'd add magnesium citrate or better.

D3 plays an important role in managing inflammation, which is important for everyone, not just those with diabetes.

The problem is that when we take vitamin D3, calcium levels in the blood can increase so you want to take vitamin K2 to keep the calcium out of the soft tissues such as you arteries and kidneys and back into your teeth and bones where it's best stored for use by the body as needed. The vitamin A and magnesium also helps with this process.

The reason maintaining adequate levels of magnesium is so important is because unless you're eating a heavy whole foods plant based diet, it's unlikely you're getting enough magnesium from your diet. Magnesium is involved in almost 300 processes in the human body. It's a critical mineral that the body needs.

To that list I'd add fish oil. If you're depressed for any reason, fish oil will help your brain work better if you give it enough time. I was taught many years ago that fish oil reduces symptoms of both depression, anxiety, and other serious mental illnesses.

I'm so sorry to hear you're feeling so unwell. I hope your doctor is taking your symptoms seriously. Sounds like your health is in a downward spiral. Vitamins may give you enough of a boost to get you headed back in the right direction.

Having diabetes isn't in anyway your fault. It happens. It gets easier to manage with education and ongoing support.



Edited by a mod to remove incorrect information

@Kristin251 That's interesting. I never thought about the timing of taking vitamin D3. What happens when you take it after lunch? My D3 is in my multivitamin and mineral supplement, so I'm taking 1000 IU at breakfast, then again with dinner. I wonder now if I should take it with lunch instead.

@KevinPotts love your new avatar. You look so happy and healthy!

tim2000s said:

The one area I'd say this isn't true is D3. A significant portion of the U.K. Population have very low D3 levels. I'm one of them, and had to take a supplement to bring this up.


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I quite agree but then has OP had blood tests to confirm she is low in D3? Taking supplements because you feel down is not always the best way to go about things. 1st step would be GP to check no underlying medical condition causing the problem.

@CarbsRok I agree, getting lab work done should be the first step. But sometimes, when we're feeling unwell we can't muster up the drive to go to the doctor, particularly if we suffer from depression and/or don't have a good relationship with our doctor. A few thoughtfully chosen, high quality vitamins often can help, particularly when the body is unable to absorb nutrients well from food.

I have inflammatory bowel disease, though in remission 99% of the time, I don't absorb a number of nutrients well from food regardless of how healthily I eat. And I do eat healthily. I eat vegetables with every meal, healthy sources of protein and fat too. I wish I were like you and could maintain good health with food only. You're very fortunate.

Winnie53 said:

@Kristin251 That's interesting. I never thought about the timing of taking vitamin D3. What happens when you take it after lunch? My D3 is in my multivitamin and mineral supplement, so I'm taking 1000 IU at breakfast, then again with dinner. I wonder now if I should take it with lunch instead.

@KevinPotts love your new avatar. You look so happy and healthy!

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I am always happy by disposition.... Now healthy by choice and lifestyle


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Tylers73 said:

Can anyone advise me pls. I need to take some vitamins especially with vitamin d. I have been very run down and have been advised to take vitamins thank you


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Hi @tyler73

Were you told to take a multivitamin? Or just Vit D? If you can tell us who told you to take vitamins and what exactly they said, you may get some more specific answers.