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Vit D shortage

PatsyB

PatsyB

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Notts
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Any one lese having difficulties with Vit D level....had a terrible few weeks waking at night my arms in agony...went to the doctors who did blood tests and came bakc to me saying Vit D is very low and to go to chemist and buy some?
 
Hello PatsyB. Same thing happened to me recently. I had a battery of blood tests and the surgery rang me to say my Vit D was deficient and that a prescription was waiting for me to collect. I was given 3 months supply of Fultium daily D3 capsules and have to have a repeat blood test when completed. It has taken a while but the pains have subsided. Hope all goes well for you.
 
Until I started reading this forum, I was unaware of anyone with Vitamin D deficiency. Now I am wondering whether it is a consequence of diabetes or LCHF diet. Or whether it is just a general population lifestyle issue with is spending less time in the sun.
Thankfully, I seem to be ok at the moment but these threads have given me an additional motivation to make sure I go for a walk outside every day and eat plenty of fish. Fingers crossed this helps.
 
The stuff I have read suggests that its a problem everywhere in the West, made worse by the increased panic about melanoma which now has everyone avoiding the sun. Overall it seems that not getting enough Vit D could be worse for you than getting too much sun ! - twas ever thus.

Apparently if in the sun - one should be aim for one skin change -so for me a vaguely unattractive light pink. Note to self - stop scurrying under the awnings like a cockroach !

I'm deficient too - I'm told the level to aim for is the above 100 range only reducing Vit D supplements if it gets beyond 200. I would probably need an articulated lorry load to get that close !
 
CherryAA said:
The stuff I have read suggests that its a problem everywhere in the West, made worse by the increased panic about melanoma which now has everyone avoiding the sun.
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Where I live in Australia, Queensland is the Melanoma and Skin Cancer capital of the world. I have a vitamin d deficiency and I am on 2000iu a day as I do not get out in the sun as much as I used to.

It will be five years since I have been taking them, and no mention of vk2. I checked that it is compatible with the Xarelto anti coagulent I take, so will chase my GP up about it. Thanks for the heads up @Brunneria.

We had a big advertising campaign years ago about Slip, Slop, Slap with Sid Seagull, here's the two versions.


 
Brunneria said:
Just remember to supplement with D3 (it is most accessible to the body) and add in Vitamin K2 (not K1!) as well.
Since K2 helps you to use D3.

The nurse I spoke to last week (routine checkup) stressed both of these things and said that unless we take K2 with our D3 we are wasting our time. Her actual words were 'no point taking D3 without K2 as well.'

She is a keeper.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/the-word-is-filtering-through-about-vits-d3-and-k2.125842/
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Thanks yes I was already aware of that via that thread ! so I bought both
 
I was found to be deficient and the doctor prescribed vitD at a dose I havn't come across. One tablet twice per week for eight weeks. Can't remember what the numbers were but no mention of K2 on the box. Have to see the vampire in october to check levels.
 
helensaramay said:
Until I started reading this forum, I was unaware of anyone with Vitamin D deficiency. Now I am wondering whether it is a consequence of diabetes or LCHF diet. Or whether it is just a general population lifestyle issue with is spending less time in the sun.
Thankfully, I seem to be ok at the moment but these threads have given me an additional motivation to make sure I go for a walk outside every day and eat plenty of fish. Fingers crossed this helps.
Click to expand...
Maybe from less processed food which have vitamins added. Cereals too.
 
Guzzler said:
I was found to be deficient and the doctor prescribed vitD at a dose I havn't come across. One tablet twice per week for eight weeks. Can't remember what the numbers were but no mention of K2 on the box. Have to see the vampire in october to check levels.
Click to expand...
If highly deficient then a high dose given for a few days/weeks then rechecked.
 
CherryAA said:
I'm deficient too - I'm told the level to aim for is the above 100 range only reducing Vit D supplements if it gets beyond 200. I would probably need an articulated lorry load to get that close !
Click to expand...

Where did you get the above 100 range from, and do you know which units it is?
My lab report does not give a reference range. It actually says "not applicable". The test was a 25-OH vit D. The units were nmol/L

I have been trying to find a UK official reference range without much success. The goal posts move. I have seen that 50 is the lowest adequate level, that between 50 and 100nmol/l (20-40ng/mL) is normal, also seen that 75 is adequate. 200 is too much. No-one seems to know for sure, which may explain why my lab doesn't give one.
 
ickihun said:
Maybe from less processed food which have vitamins added. Cereals too.
Click to expand...
Interesting idea. But I don't eat processed foods. And I doubt our ancestors who didn't have vitamin d deficients in the past, definitely did have processed foods.
 
helensaramay said:
Interesting idea. But I don't eat processed foods. And I doubt our ancestors who didn't have vitamin d deficients in the past, definitely did have processed foods.
Click to expand...

Many of our British ancestors had VitD deficiencies - rickets was rife. Possibly one reason being they wore full length clothes even as children and hid their faces from the sun.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Where did you get the above 100 range from, and do you know which units it is?
My lab report does not give a reference range. It actually says "not applicable". The test was a 25-OH vit D. The units were nmol/L

I have been trying to find a UK official reference range without much success. The goal posts move. I have seen that 50 is the lowest adequate level, that between 50 and 100nmol/l (20-40ng/mL) is normal, also seen that 75 is adequate. 200 is too much. No-one seems to know for sure, which may explain why my lab doesn't give one.
Click to expand...
I've seen various recommendations too.

I think the US unit of measurement is different to ours.

Chris Masterjohn has done a lot of research on this topic and his recommended range is 20-40ng/mL - which I believe is 50-100nmol/L for us.
 
helensaramay said:
Interesting idea. But I don't eat processed foods. And I doubt our ancestors who didn't have vitamin d deficients in the past, definitely did have processed foods.
Click to expand...
What happens is the body seeks out from food what it needs then remaining is weed out. Except for selenium and a few others which are poisonous in higher doses.
So k2 if insuffient from diet will need supplementing.
K2 is in green veg and spring onions, kale and asparagus.
Vit D is mainly processed by the liver.
So once again if liver is being overworked to release glucose for survival then processing vit d is less a priority.
Once again the liver is failing to do one of its many functions.
IR is more related to liver than pancreas.
 
@Bluetit1802

My last years UK blood test says "<25 nmol/L: OVERT VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY INDICATED"

Recent blood test says "Values between 75 and 120 nmol/L indicate sufficient vitamin D "

So less than 25 nmol/L is deficient and between 75 and 120 nmol/L is fine. Presumably between 25 and 75 is considered low.
 
Begonia said:
@Bluetit1802

My last years UK blood test says "<25 nmol/L: OVERT VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY INDICATED"

Recent blood test says "Values between 75 and 120 nmol/L indicate sufficient vitamin D "

So less than 25 nmol/L is deficient and between 75 and 120 nmol/L is fine. Presumably between 25 and 75 is considered low.
Click to expand...
There is vit d deficiency and vit d insufficiency.
 
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