Vitamin d usage

[Darion]

Hi everyone

I've recently began taking vitamin d in an attempt to help lose weight and gain energy. As a side to feeling a bit fresher and with more energy I have found that my
Blood sugars which are usually in the mid to high teens, now rarely go above 11 or 12. And I spend most of the day in the green zone on my libre which in my daughters words has never happened!

I eat relatively well and have recently started using a Calorie tracking app which tells me how many carbs etc I eat per meal and this has also helped. But the main question I wanted to ask was if anyone was taking vitamin d and had similar experiences?

I still wake up in the morning with the usual highs but not as severe as before now I would say I wake up with my bloods at about 13-14
But they drop pretty quickly once I'm
Up and have began eating and injecting etc.

Thanks and I look forward to hearing some other peoples experiences!

Darion

 

[TheSecretCarbAddict]

Hi @Darion, I'm T2, so my experience might not directly translate to T1, but... I have done both food tracking and vitamin D supplementation. Out of the two, food tracking has probably had the most impact on my BG levels. As soon as I became aware of what I was eating, I started making better food choices. I'm not necessarily counting calories. I'm just focused on my macronutrient ratios. But would stop and not have or limit certain foods if having them would mean a massive departure from my targets. I find that with any supplements, the effects are a lot harder to ascertain as they tend to be a lot more subtle.

 

[KennyA]

I've been taking Vit D at round 4000 IU daily for a while. Can't say I've noticed any impact on BG, particularly as my carb intake is low.

I haven't really had any illnesses for a few years now, which might be due (partly?) to Vit D but could equally be down to losing weight, low carb, or not having to use public transport much.

 

[Nicola M]

I’ve been taking Vit D for years now due to my epilepsy. Always 4000 IU. I’ve never noticed it had an impact on my blood sugar and for the most part during my years of taking it I was on the higher side blood sugar wise than lower side, although I did have burnout during this time but even so I don’t believe it had any impact on what my sugars were.

 

[Juicyj]

Hello Darion,

Blood glucose changes can be affected by many factors, such as heat, exercise, illness etc but haven't heard of vitamin D affecting glucose levels.

In regards to running at higher glucose levels - do you ever do any basal fasting tests to check your background ratio is set at the right level ? I have found that if I want to lose weight that keeping myself in range and getting levels stable are helpful with weight loss, running high/low affects the way the body is processing glucose and can affect appetite too as when running high we are more hungry as the cells aren't getting the energy, same as running hypo. However getting the basal level right is the foundation for good control and so if your running consistently high during day/night it's vital to check this and adjust.

 

[Darion]

I've been taking Vit D at round 4000 IU daily for a while. Can't say I've noticed any impact on BG, particularly as my carb intake is low.

I haven't really had any illnesses for a few years now, which might be due (partly?) to Vit D but could equally be down to losing weight, low carb, or not having to use public transport much.

 

[Darion]

I've been taking Vit D at round 4000 IU daily for a while. Can't say I've noticed any impact on BG, particularly as my carb intake is low.

I haven't really had any illnesses for a few years now, which might be due (partly?) to Vit D but could equally be down to losing weight, low carb, or not having to use public transport much.

Have your bloods always been well controlled?

 

[Darion]

I’ve been taking Vit D for years now due to my epilepsy. Always 4000 IU. I’ve never noticed it had an impact on my blood sugar and for the most part during my years of taking it I was on the higher side blood sugar wise than lower side, although I did have burnout during this time but even so I don’t believe it had any impact on what my sugars were.

Hey thanks for the reply. That's interesting then it just seems strange that all of a sudden my bloods have become really stable since I've taken it. I have a diabetic appointment in a couple of weeks I'll check and see if they can shed any light on it!

 

[Darion]

Hello Darion,

Blood glucose changes can be affected by many factors, such as heat, exercise, illness etc but haven't heard of vitamin D affecting glucose levels.

In regards to running at higher glucose levels - do you ever do any basal fasting tests to check your background ratio is set at the right level ? I have found that if I want to lose weight that keeping myself in range and getting levels stable are helpful with weight loss, running high/low affects the way the body is processing glucose and can affect appetite too as when running high we are more hungry as the cells aren't getting the energy, same as running hypo. However getting the basal level right is the foundation for good control and so if your running consistently high during day/night it's vital to check this and adjust.

Hey juicyj
I've never tried the Basal fasting I guess that could be interesting to see the results.

Thanks for the tip!

 

[Juicyj]

Hey juicyj
I've never tried the Basal fasting I guess that could be interesting to see the results.

Thanks for the tip!

Here's a link to get you going, its so useful to gain an insight into your basal rate to see if it's at the right level, we all need to check this from time to time: https://www.mysugr.com/en/blog/basal-rate-testing/

 

[KennyA]

Have your bloods always been well controlled?

I'm T2 so my experience might not be directly relevant to yours. But in the last few years, yes. Not had a diabetic level HbA1c since January 2020, and rarely get an unexpected post-meal reading over 6mmol/l.

 

[Darion]

I'm T2 so my experience might not be directly relevant to yours. But in the last few years, yes. Not had a diabetic level HbA1c since January 2020, and rarely get an unexpected post-meal reading over 6mmol/l.

Ah so totally different but again like you say you're type 2 and it's hard to compare.

Thanks again though.

 

[TimLibre]

If you get more energy from the Vitamin D, it might increase your activity, which then could have a lowering effect on your glucose levels.
I dont know your age, but I would try to avoid these structural nightly highs, they damage your body. Maybe try freestyle libre or another cym/fgm in order to be alerted in case of highs or lows.

 

[Darion]

If you get more energy from the Vitamin D, it might increase your activity, which then could have a lowering effect on your glucose levels.
I dont know your age, but I would try to avoid these structural nightly highs, they damage your body. Maybe try freestyle libre or another cym/fgm in order to be alerted in case of highs or lows.

So I have a pretty routine lifestyle I swim 5 days a week school run etc I'm
Not overly active however and outside of the holidays my bloods were consistently on the higher end. I'm
35 and the highs aren't something I aim for I could
Go to sleep with a fairly low level around 10
Or 11 (low for me before taking the vitamin d) and wake up with it closer to 20.

I am using a libre and have been for some time
and that's how I've noticed a change in patterns.

I am feeing more energised,
Sleeping better and like I've said my bloods control is a lot better ‍ I will see what my diabetic doctor says in a couple of weeks.

Thanks for the advice though