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I recently had my doctor do a Vitamin D test on me - 25 (OH)D.
It came in at 72 nmol/L . The lab says under 60 is deficient and under 30 is severely deficient. Vitamin D council says 125nmol/L is the minimum to aim for.
I have been supplementing with 5000 IU a day for about a year now.
It is just coming into summer here, so obviously this is after a long winter which drops your levels. However I would have expected to get a better result. I was hoping to be able to drop the supplements down a bit over summer. Looks like I am going to have to keep them up and add in some sunshine to try to get up closer to the recommended level.
Wish I knew what the levels where before I started to supplement. Bet they were low.
It appears that it often takes longer than expected to get D levels up to acceptable levels, doesn't it? I read somewhere that the body normally uses up about 5000 IUs of D a day, which may help to explain this. Also, if one is taking vitamin A (retinol), it can interfere with the absorption of D. Illnesses can certainly increase the need for D. Finally, there is early evidence that a diet that produces an acid load (as opposed to a basic load) may interfere with the ability of vitamin D to act effectively.
Anyway, good news that it is rising.
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
nmol/L is international units. I can only think in terms of conventional units, so to get to the "conventional units", used here in the U. S, we would need to divide by 2.496, which would yield about 29 ng/mL.
I'm kind of surprised that your level isn't higher by now, but you might be right - you may have started at a very low level. Going into summer should help, though.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Lyn
sorry to hear it is a bit on the low side. i am not sure that we can rely on the seasons given we are not meant to shower for 48hrs post sunlight exposure to get the full benefit.
Thanks to the wisdom of the people here and the various discussions i have had all my tests so i can monitor things going forward bone density scan, full scope of bloods, when i got the printout of my August 2010 full blood work it was the same tests that were done in 2008 (around the time i first had symptoms) so I also have an early level bench mark.
Did the doctor say when you could next do the tests ie to ensure if the dosage of supplements is correct for you?
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
I am not taking vitamin A, so that shouldn't be interfering. Possibly too acidic a diet, but not sure how I'd confirm that.
I haven't seen the doc since getting the results (I get the lab to send a copy to me at home), but doubt I'll be able to get a retest for a while since I am not deficient according to the lab normal. I can always try a different doctor if I need to.
And I don't think I'd be too popular if I didn't wash for 48 hours. Phew
digging through paperwork (prep for the move) i found the printout of my recent blood test results
i was actually 68 Nmol/L (so i was lower than you) as it was in the range i didnt worry at the time, re-reading this post I should maybe up my dosage. (and consider not bathing for a couple of days each month!!)
I dont think the seasons have impact as i spent 3 weeks in Nthn Hemisphere summer during the peak of our winter and the winter in brisbane is far milder than your climate
interestingly on my test it says that "while the lower limit of the population reference range is 50 nmol/L higher levels may be desirable."
Lyn - thanks for sharing for re-aligning my thought process to my results
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Last year my Vit D was at 8 and I was prescribed 90,000iu's, one a week.
That brought my level up to 26 this year, and was told to take 2,000iu's a day.
Khale mine was very similar to yours, last year it was at 2... This year I think the level was at around 25. I have been taking 10k IU for the last 2 months, and I will be getting it checked again in January. This time of year there is so little sun this far north, that with what daylight there is roughly 8AM to 4 PM that with being inside at work I get no sun exposure. Even if I did the sun is at such a shallow angle, I doubt any of the effective UV-A & B would make it to the ground in any meaningful quantities.
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