Vitamin D is constantly in the news lately and for good
reason. Optimal levels of Vitamin D
have been linked to a host of benefits including prevention and treatment of
many key diseases ranging from Osteoporosis to improved heart health with reduction
in heart attack risk to prevention of many different types of cancer.
The ideal way to get optimal levels of Vitamin D is to let
your body create it through Safe Sun Exposure (see previous blog on this
subject here: http://workoutanytime.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-facts-on-safe-sun-exposure-and.html However this is easier said then done, and
too much sun is clearly a strong risk factor for skin cancer! Enter Vitamin D supplementation.
The amount and form of Vitamin D supplementation has changed
substantially based on lots of emerging research. The form that should be taken is Vitamin
D-3 NOT D-2 form and all experts agree on this! However when it comes to dosage things get
much trickier. The confusion comes
because Vitamin D is really a powerful compound and functions as a hormone in
the body. As such it has profound
impact on virtually every system in the body.
In addition you can overdose on Vitamin D supplements so more is NOT
always better!
Ideally you should order a blood test and test your levels. The test you want is called a 25(OH)D blood
test and is offered by all major labs. You
can either ask your doctor to order this test for you OR you can order an
in-home test. You just prick your
finger and put a drop of bloo on the enclosed paper and send back in to the
labs. You can also your own blood test
online and go to a lab to have blood drawn in the same way your doctor orders
the test. For more information on
testing go here: https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/testkit/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwh_bLBRDeARIsAH4ZYEPhv0MVkO5_S7USZZ8bwVlt5A3vPWGbBFFIbJiB8Wtva0x-IDH7UmQaAlGkEALw_wcB#
Ideal versus Acceptable
Blood Levels of Vitamin D
There is a big difference between what is considered “acceptable”
or okay and ideal blood levels. Here
are the classifications of different blood levels of Vitamin D. according to
the Vitamin D Council:
0 – 30 ng/ML is very low and considered a deficiency
30 – 39 ng/ML is better but still insufficient for optimal health
and disease prevention.
40 – 100 ng/ML is optimal
Above 150 ng/ML is toxic!
The key is to test and if low take a supplement then retest
2 – 3 months after regular vitamin d use because each person is different in
how much supplementation they need based on many factors including sun exposure
and skin type. The RDA for Vitamin D
for infants is 400iu. For
Children 1 – 13 and adults through age 70 the RDA is 600iu and for those over
70 the RDA is 800iu.
Unfortunately, this is way too low to get many people into
the sufficient much less optimal range so testing is really worthwhile. In many cases people need 4,000 – 10,000 or
more iu's per day for at least a month to get where they need to be for optimal
health!
Preventing Vitamin D
Toxicity through the Co-Administration of Vitamin K-2
Like many vitamins Vitamin D has a co-factor or other
vitamin that helps it perform its function better and in a more balanced
fashion, and that other vitamin is Vitamin K-2 (not to be confused with K-1
found in many plants). In an ideal world,
you can get all the Vitamin K-1 you need from eating plenty of green, leafy vegetables,
and your body can turn it into K-2. Unfortunately,
this conversion is lacking in many people.
More importantly K-2 is not easily toxic and can be taken
with Vitamin D. K-2 is best taken as a
supplement as MK-7 version which has been heavily researched and shown to
improve bone health and prevent arterial calcification which can potentially
occur with too much Vitamin D. For a
more complete understanding behind how K-2 works with Vitamin D and why it is a
great idea to take the MK-7 form of K-2 with Vitamin D check out this article
from Dr. Mercola: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/03/26/the-delicate-dance-between-vitamins-d-and-k.aspx
Taking 100 – 200 mcg per day of Vitamin K-2 will help
optimize the effects of Vitamin D and minimize risks associated with Vitamin D
Supplementation.
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