Vitamin D deficiency

Hi Defren
I had a vit d test which came back yesterday the GP said I had the highest levels he had seen but I was only .1 above the minimum level so obviously a low level in general I am type 2 by the way and I dont take vit d supplements but I do take cod liver oil capsules which the GP thought may be the reason I had good levels along with a good diet
CAROL

As far as I understand it, Vitamin D deficiency could well occur throughout the British population, particularly in the winter months.

Most of our Vitamin D does not come from food, though there are some good sources (oily fish, eggs, for instance). Most of it is manufactured by the exposure of our skin to sunlight. The process involves the cholesterol in the fat under the skin, I think - those who know better please correct me!

Anyway, it seems that in the winter at more northern latitudes (which includes GB) the sun is not strong enough for us to manufacture Vit D; we cover up too much because of the cold, anyway, and we don't get out enough. Also older people are less efficient at manufacturing it - so by the end of the winter many of us are deficient in it.

You're lucky to get a test - my surgery won't do it because they're too expensive! I Googled 'Vitamin D deficiency', and 'Vitamin D3', and got quite a number of interesting peer-reviewed articles - sadly I've lost the links! The result is, that I take Vit D3 supplements all year round, 5000IU in the winter and 2500IU in the summer (unless I'm getting a lot of sun), both of which are way over the RDA. I'm not dead yet!

It's worth reading around and getting good information. There's been quite a lot of work done on safe levels of Vit D. If I can find the link in this tip I call my office, I'll post it.

Viv 8)

PS Lovely day here today - I might risk exposing a bit of skin :shock: Only my arms, though :lol:

I think it is worth putting this thread in the topic as it highlights a possible complication of taking Vitamin D.
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=27421

I was just about to post this link!

I was taking a 5000IU vitamin D3 supplement until last week when I came across these articles that suggest a link between vitamin D3 and calcium deposits in the capillaries.

I was wondering what other people here who take large dose D3 supplements make of this, have you been officially diagnosised with a vitamin D3 deficiency?

Until I know more about this potentially serious side effect I've stopped taking the supplements for now.

Taking calcium supplements can cause deposits of excess calcium in the heart etc too - which Is why I don't take them. I get enough calcium in my diet. We need Vitamin D to metabolize calcium properly - hence the combined pills they give to sufferers of osteoporosis. Complicated, isn't it?

Viv 8)

People should listen to Case Notes - Dr Mark Porter

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... Vitamin_D/


Dr Rosmeary Leonard BBC1 Breakfast also spoke about vitamin D deficiency last month I think. She also said that the deficiency was on the increase and that many of us will have low levels at the end of Jan/Feb months.

I was diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency in December 2010 and have been taking Calcichew D3 Forte (Calcium and Vitamin D) as prescribed by my GP. I also take off my own back a Vitamin D spray Dlux which gives 1000 IU of Vitamin D. I haven't had a re-test since but intend to have one soon.

My symptoms of Vitamin D deficieny was chronic fatigue and supplementing has made me feel loads better. I have taken part in medical research and had MRI and CT scans of my heart and have no calcium deposits.

Defren said:

I was only diagnosed on Monday, but today I got a call from the surgery to say I have a Vit D deficiency. They have written me a script for supplements. While on one hand I am happy that my Doctor has obviously been re-checking my results, I am also curious as Vit D deficiency seems to be quite widespread in the T2 community. I have read up a little but can't find out a great deal, is there a reason why T2 diabetics do seem to be Vit D deficient?

I should add, I have been taking a multi vit which includes 100% RDA of Vit D for a long time.

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In relation to your question, its more a case of 'why are those who are Vitamin D deficient more likely to be T2D'

As has been said in the posts above, vitamin D deficiency is now of epidemic proportions. With Vitamin D being more of a hormone than a vitamin it has receptors in all sorts of tissues including muscle and fat as well as on immune cells. Being vitamin D deficient can screw up insulin sensitivity/secretion.

Its great that your Doc had your Vitamin D levels tested!! Some doctors are obviously still behind the times on its importance and as someone said, its an expensive test so they're rather not test for it quite often.

A multivit that contains 100% of the RDA will do virtually nothing for your vitamin D levels. 4 things to know about Vitamin D 1) its best absorbed when eat WITH a fat containing meal 2) You should supplement with D3 not D2 3) a high omega 6 to omega 3 ratio reduces the ability of supplementation to increase blood levels and finally 4) you can overdose due to it being fat soluble but 10-20 x more than the RDAis fine for a lot of people! Docs use about 50 x the RDA to bring blood levels up!

Thank you for the info, Martin - very interesting, and much appreciated.

Viv 8)

viviennem said:

Thank you for the info, Martin - very interesting, and much appreciated.

Viv 8)

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I second that Viv- great t o have an expert on board!

I've been on the "natural" Vitamin D today - the weather has been so lovely that I did a morning's gardening (exercise :shock: ) and had my lunch in the garden - warm enough for a short-sleeved shirt .

I do all my weeding kneeling/sitting down and noticed that it is much easier to get up now, what with weight loss and the exercise bike. I have to get up behind first, a bit like a cow - not a pretty sight! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Viv 8)

Very interesting reading-I was oblivious to this and have only thought of Vitamin A levels when it came to sunlight but I guess I'll never know what my Vit D levels are like as reading this thread-most GP's won't test due to cost.
as a matter of interest,would your body be symptomatic if your levels were low? :think:

Hi
I had to take a vit D supplement last year as a blood test showed i was lacking vit D, i had a 4 week cause of tablets one a day
not sure if these supplements caused the problem but my period for that month was delayed by 3 weeks, i new i was'nt pregnant cos i had been sterilized 8 years ago but pharmasist advised me to do a pregnancy test anyway which came back negative. Once i finshed the vit D tablets within 2-3 days my period returned.

Tracey167

Viv/Unbeliever, glad to be of service

I'm really interested in the Vitamin D stuff. I wrote about Vitamin D 2 years ago and felt 'ahead of the game' when it became big news. Tried to bring our my own 'Vitamin D3' supplement until I realised it was so cheap there was no way of making any money off it!! :?

Viv - has been lovely here too but take a look at the slide that I have attached slide from one of the lectures I give. It was done in California with 90minutes of 35% of body surface area (BSA) exposed and look at the supplementation levels that were needed to get into the normal range! :***: Congrats on your successful weight loss by the way! :cla



Paulie - I've maybe been a bit down on GPs/HCPs... some are willing to test Vitamin D levels! Its always worth asking! because Vit D is involved in so many systems you may be symptomatic without even realising it. Poor immune function is a big indicator in my experience and is how I've been able to get Drs to agree to test Vit D levels.

Mac

Fatigue is definitely a symptom of Vitamin D deficiency - I had it for nearly three years and was put in the chronic fatigue box until I finally got tested for it. About a month after getting supplements I was feeling loads better and not so tired.

I was talking to a friend (not diabetic) over the weekend who is suffering from chronic fatigue and have convinced her that she needs to get a test done for Vitamin D deficiency.

The problem with Vitamin D deficiency is that you feel so tired that you spend more time indoors and therefore don't get any Vitamin D from the sun. In the UK milk is not fortified with vitamin D, whereas it is in the US.

Defren said:

Thank you so much for the information Mac. I was reading through it, and some one (sorry useless with names) asked if vitamin D deficiency could cause problems. Mac, I suffer from the most terrible fatigue. It's nothing like ordinary tiredness, I will be sitting and all of a sudden am fighting to stay awake. When I go to bed at night, I can easily sleep 13+ hours and still be exhausted. I did read somewhere fatigue is a symptom of Vit D deficiency. I would love to hear your opinion. Thanks in advance.

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Hi Defren,

No problem at all. As has been said above, fatigue is most certainly a possible symptom of Vit D deficiency.. I saw a paper on this very recently, not sure if people care about the studies but can post it/a link if people are. Have you had any blood tests as its best not to jump on one off the cuff diagnosis... iron obviously also springs to mind.

Mac