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Vitamin D levels

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 4/29/2012 2:11 AM (GMT 0)
does anyone know or can anyone recommend appropriate supplementation for vit D3?  My daughter's d-hydroxy levels came back at 26.8, which is "insufficient" according to the scale.  She's been supplementing 1000iu daily for a few months now, and last test was at 29.2.  Argh.

 

Posted 4/29/2012 3:12 AM (GMT 0)
I have heard that optimum blood levels of vitamin D are between 40 and 60 ng/mL . The general rule of thumb is adding 1,000 iu will increase your level by 10 points. So if your level is 29, then by adding an extra 1,000 iu of vitamin D3 to the 1,000 iu that you are taking already, will increase it to around 39-40. Adding an extra 2,000 for a total of 3,000 iu altogether each day should place you near 50.

Of course now that summer is near you may need less because of more sunlight. So don't go by general rules alone, it is best and more reliable to regularly measure your blood levels. Vitamin D is one of the few vitamins which is possible to overdose. That would be over 100 ng/ml.
Posted 4/29/2012 9:49 AM (GMT 0)
I was put on 100,000 IU vitamin D weekly for over 2 years - but we also did regular blood draws to check my levels.

I was then dropped to 50,000 IU weekly for over a year and now have been on 50,000 every other week for the last 2 years. And we continue to do regular blood draws to monitor my levels but not all that often anymore. I think maybe twice a year, what w/the every 3 months for the Imuran who can remember? My docs just send in a standing order, all I have to do is remember to go to the lab every 3 months.
Posted 4/29/2012 2:40 PM (GMT 0)
Wow, that's a lot of Vit D.  And how high are your levels when they do test for it?
Posted 5/5/2012 8:15 AM (GMT 0)
You can find just a couple of food items elements that may contain natural vitamin D. Several diet sources of vitamin D are generally meat lean meats, meaty section of the fish, egg yolk, fish oil and even cheeses. Consequently, non-meat eaters have a greater risk to acquire vitamin D insufficiency as a result of very low nutritionary ingestion of vitamin D high food. Breastfeeding newborns could get this issue mainly because vitamin D amounts in mother's milk is extremely reduced.



Being exposed to harmful ingredients, unsafe chemical compounds, unwanted effects of specific drugs may also develop this type of problem in which the amount of (spam link removed - 142) comes less than the standard levels. Bodily situations for instance pigment of the epidermis or even volume of total body fat will also be to blame for low-level vitamin D. Darker pores and skin may be the reason of lower vitamin D values inside the system.

(New poster put identical posts on multiple forums - qualifies as spammer - one deleted - 142)

Post Edited By Moderator (142) : 5/5/2012 5:40:35 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 5/5/2012 12:01 PM (GMT 0)
MoobyDoo, is your daughter's Crohn's being adequately treated? One of the reasons for low vitamin D in a Crohn's patient is poor nutritional absorption. Maybe it's time to revisit with her GI?
Posted 5/5/2012 1:43 PM (GMT 0)
MoobyDoo,

Vit. D3 is a critical component in being healthy, and alternatively low levels have been shown to correlate to IBD and other diseases as well.

But as BITW mentioned there can be toxic levels if you supplement, so it's important to check blood levels every 3-4 months if you're going to supplement.

A few years ago, just around the time I was diagnosed, a doctor (not my gastro) decided to check and found I was @ 29.

Since then I've been taking 100,000 I.U. every 10 days, and when tested my levels were 60-69. Now that I've been additionally supplementing with liquid Vit. D every few days in between (this is something I did on my own) , my last tested levels were at 101 - which my GP was very happy about (and so am I). I haven't felt this good in years.

 Bottom line is you'll have to work in concert with a doc who sees the value in Vit. d3 supplementation.


 

Posted 5/5/2012 4:42 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks all.  We do work closely with her GI.  She is on remicade and has been in remission since her second infusion over a year ago.  All her blookwork comes back perfect, and she is symptom free and enjoying a "normal" life.  Yay!  But still her Vit D3 level is only at 26.  We were supplementing, per her doc's recommendation, at 1000 iu/day.  Keep in mind that she is only 12.  He told us to increase it to 2000 iu, which we just did as of last week.  I am afraid to be too aggressive with supplementation because she is young and I don't want to risk toxicity from it.  As for her diet, she eats meat but hates all fish and eggs and so getting it thru diet is tough.  We'll see what her levels are at her next infusion in June. Personally, I'm hoping for at least 50 for her.  The highest we've ever seen it for her was at 40 tho.  Wondering if I should up her dose to 4000 iu, as she takes supplement in the forms of drops at 2000 per drop.

 

Posted 5/5/2012 5:34 PM (GMT 0)
Moodyboo,

Just bear in mind that vit..d3 is fat soluble, so if you don't take it with fat, your body won't be able to metabolize it properly.
Posted 5/5/2012 6:03 PM (GMT 0)
Ok, thanks for that tip.  So then another stupid question... does a few buttery ritz crackers count as fat, or does it have to be something more obvious like a peice of chicken of a bite of cheese?  Most fats do contain some amount of fat, but How Much is needed for the d3 to absorb?

 

Posted 5/5/2012 6:22 PM (GMT 0)
And how about sun exposure? That's the best way to get vitamin D.
Posted 5/6/2012 12:06 AM (GMT 0)
MoobyDoo,

Actually that's a great question.

No,  ritz crackers won't do it, IMO.

I believe a pat of butter would be good - for instance if you can put it on some veggies or baked potato? Or if you're cooking with olive oil that would constitute fat intake.

Salmon is loaded with omega 3's so that would be good too. Cheese is good too.


 

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