Supplemental D3

[messtafarian]

Another quandary.

I've been reading more and more about what potentially alleviates high blood pressure. K2 is a winner but D3 also seems to have science behind it and according to certain studies the two work synergistically.

On the other hand, I read a new study recently that said that D3 was not a vitamin but was in fact a hormone that depleted itself within the immune system when inflammation was present. The article seemed to suggest that low D3 was not the cause of anything; it was an expression of the immune system as it adapted to disease conditions and aging. And it suggested one should not supplement because this could trigger an inflammatory response.

Before I read this article I was supplementing heavily with D3 thinking this might be part of my low energy and general uterine problems. I took *a lot* of D3 to "get my levels up" and then once I read the article I stopped, thinking...well...if it's true I needed the D3 I've got it now and if it's isn't true then at least I stopped.

But I didn't have a very good time on D3. This is when I started to get *severe* hot flashes that I kept assuming had to do with either some kind of flu or an infection or something. I had never had hot flashes at all before that = at least not so violently. When I stopped, the hot flashes went away for a while -- then six weeks later they came back with sudden menopause.

The D3 supplementation did not affect my blood pressure that I know of.

Not sure what to think. Anybody else taking D3?

 

[j.]

I think vitamin D increases vitamin A requirements.

 

[messtafarian]

Hm. Yeah, a different animal, is Vitamin A. I've conveniently been able to avoid messing with that stuff so far.

 

[j.]

I think one shouldn't take D without K, because D increases calcium absorption, and without K the calcium might go to the wrong places (soft tissues instead of bone).

 

[messtafarian]

I wonder if that was what I was doing wrong the last time. When I was supplementing D3 women I noted women complained pretty often on the internet of unbearable hot flashes while they were taking this on orders from their doctors. Why this was happening to them was never really addressed as far as I could tell. I went pretty deep into the literature to try and figure it out.

 

[freal]

I think people are taking too much, you have people like Dr. Mercola recomending 10,000 IU, thats a huge dose. Maybe if yue are fighting cancer for a short time. It is dependent on you blood levels, but I think that the dose should be like 2000IU max or maybe 1000IU or 800IU would be fine.

There are people with thyroid problems complaing of neck pain when taking doses of 5000IU ,some even complain of taking any vitamin D dose. High vitamin D doses are probably anti-thyroid like vitamin A is.

Vitamin D was until very recently like a forgotten vitamin and not much research was done on it prior to year 2000, but since testing has become available its now really under the spotlight and vitamins like vitamin A were put aside.

 

[Jenn]

I feel better taking it. I take it in spurts. It stores.

 

[kiran]

I've been taking larger doses of vit D for a bit to reduce my PTH. I have a tendency to hypercalcemia when I increase my vit D dose though. One of the symptoms of hypercalcemia can be hot flashes.

Vitamin A and adequate protein helps bring it under control for me.

 

[j.]

I've been taking larger doses of vit D for a bit to reduce my PTH. I have a tendency to hypercalcemia when I increase my vit D dose though. One of the symptoms of hypercalcemia can be hot flashes.

Vitamin A and adequate protein helps bring it under control for me.

I wonder if I'm the opposite, I get high maybe due to hypocalcemia due to high K intake and low D levels (30)?

 

[kiran]

I've been taking larger doses of vit D for a bit to reduce my PTH. I have a tendency to hypercalcemia when I increase my vit D dose though. One of the symptoms of hypercalcemia can be hot flashes.

Vitamin A and adequate protein helps bring it under control for me.

I wonder if I'm the opposite, I get high maybe due to hypocalcemia due to high K intake and low D levels (30)?

It's possible... might be temporary hypocalcemia. Perhaps you should get your PTH tested.

 

[Frankdee20]

So now I wonder if there's a suggested amount of K to take for every thousand IU of D3 ? Just like every 325 mg Aspirin should have 1 mg of K. Or does this depend on blood levels of D ? I know Calcium and Magnesium also factor into the equation.

 

[RedStaR]

So now I wonder if there's a suggested amount of K to take for every thousand IU of D3 ? Just like every 325 mg Aspirin should have 1 mg of K. Or does this depend on blood levels of D ? I know Calcium and Magnesium also factor into the equation.

Just stay in the optimal range of D3, and take 5-20mg of MK-4 daily.

 

[Frankdee20]

I do 1-2,000 IU D3, and get 1MG MK 4 from 2.5 MG Super K.

 

[RedStaR]

I do 1-2,000 IU D3, and get 1MG MK 4 from 2.5 MG Super K.

You might want to raise vit D to 5k, just to be safe.

 

[Frankdee20]

Yeah, you'd be correct erring on the cautious side. I only take the K 2-3 x weekly however. That should be ok, with D3 daily. K (MK 7 ?) causes me intense feelings of being reved up, so to speak.