Vit. D-What We Have Learned About Vitamin D Dosing

Posted by Me, put together by Dr. Dan Murphy

What We Have Learned About Vitamin D Dosing?

Integrative Medicine-Vol. 9, No. 1, Feb/Mar 2010

Joseph Pizzorno, ND, Editor in Chief

BACKGROUND FROM Dr. DAN MURPHY

The world standard uses nmol/l, while US standard uses mg/dl.

For vitamin D, to convert mg/dl to nmol/l, divide the mg/dl by 2.5.

For vitamin D, to convert nmol/l to mg/dl, just multiply by 2.5.

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1) “Over the past several years, the surprising prevalence of vitamin D deficiency has become broadly recognized.”

2) Vitamin D deficiency is linked to:

Osteoporosis

Cardiovascular disease

Cancer

Autoimmune diseases

Multiple sclerosis

Pain

Loss of Cognitive function

Decreased strength

Increased rate of all-cause mortality

3) “Deficiency of vitamin D is now recognized as a pandemic, with more than half of the world’s population at risk.”

4) Approximately 50% of the healthy North American population and more than 80% of those with chronic diseases are vitamin D deficient.

5) 80% of healthy Caucasian infants are vitamin D deficient. [And the rate of vitamin D deficiency tends to be greater in African American and Hispanic children].

6) Those with vitamin D deficiency experience 39% higher annual healthcare costs than those with normal levels of vitamin D.

7) Suggested levels of vitamin D as measured by 25(OH)D3 is:

Caucasians 125 – 175 nmol/l = 50 – 70 mg/dl

Hispanics 100 – 150 nmol/l = 40 – 60 mg/dl

African Americans 80 – 120 nmol/l = 32- 48 mg/dl

8 ) The minimum blood levels of vitamin D [25(OH)D3] is 80 nmol/l (32 mg/dl).

9) Prolonged intake of 10,000 IU of supplemental vitamin D3 “is likely to pose no risk of adverse effects in almost all individuals.”

10) The maximum safe levels for vitamin 25(OH)D3 in the blood is 275 nmol/l (100 mg/dl).

11) Sarcoidosis patients (and other granulomatous diseases) should not supplement with vitamin D because it increases granuloma production increasing the risk of hypercalcemia.

12) A loading dose of supplemental vitamin D3 of 10,000 IU/day for 3 months and maintenance dose of 5,000 IU/day “is not enough for most people in northern climes.”

13) The loading dose of supplemental vitamin D3 should be about 20,000 IU/day for 3 – 6 months with a maintenance dose of 5,000 IU/day. Those taking this amount of supplemental vitamin D3 should periodically have their serum 25(OH)D3 levels measured.

Other good articles:

Vit. D and Gait Control-Neurology May 2011

MS Less Likely With Plenty of Sun, Vitamin D- Neurology 2011

Vitamin D intake and incidence of multiple sclerosis-Journal of Neurology 2004

Vit D for Cancer Prevention-Annals of Epidemiology 2009

Vit D3 and the Flu-Epidemiology and Infection-2007

Vit. D- The Food and Nutrition Board has failed millions