Health effects of vitamin D

Truthrevolution

This is a topic i have been researching for a while now so i thought it best to land it here.Id like to discuss the health benefits (and possible dangers) of vitamin D.While there is no doubt this wonderful vitamin brings many health benefits i am somewhat confused as to what is an optimum dosage level.
The RDA is 400IU yet many people are taking 5,000IU a day!
Now i have read that the maximum safe daily limit is 2,000IU daily but there are doctors out there prescribing their patients 50,000IU a day, even one doctor i heard say it was safe to take 100,000IU in one dose!
But when you consider that full body sun exposure (without sunscreen) creates 1000IU per minute its not that far reaching is it??

nesf

If someone has problems with absorbtion or natural creation of Vitamin D then that could be why the doc is prescribing such a large dose.

holystungun9

Hey OP, please check out this website www.grc.com and look at the OTHER tab and then to health. The guy is a well known and respected expert on computer security and everything that goes with that. But as a side he somehow got into researching the effects of Vitamin D. I listen to his podcasts all the time about computer security and internet safety but he interrupted the series to do a special podcast on VitaminD and it's importance. His name is Steve Gibson.

Truthrevolution

holystungun9 wrote: »

Hey OP, please check out this website www.grc.com and look at the OTHER tab and then to health. The guy is a well known and respected expert on computer security and everything that goes with that. But as a side he somehow got into researching the effects of Vitamin D. I listen to his podcasts all the time about computer security and internet safety but he interrupted the series to do a special podcast on VitaminD and it's importance. His name is Steve Gibson.

Interesting perspective here from this guy.Despite the fact that vitamin D prevents so many of our modern diseases, the pharmaceuticals have absolutely no interest in it because they cant make money from it!

nesf

Truthrevolution wrote: »

Interesting perspective here from this guy.Despite the fact that vitamin D prevents so many of our modern diseases, the pharmaceuticals have absolutely no interest in it because they cant make money from it!

Pharma companies make tonnes of money in the vitamin market through their brands. Wyeth owns Centrum, Merck owns Seven Seas etc.


Edit: Actually this is one of the most annoying myths out there: That pharma companies aren't interested in vitamins. They are. Very. If it can be put into pill form and sold for a profit they'll be interested in it and much of the cynical pushing of multi-vitamins etc are a small taste of what it would be like if we had an American type system which allowed advertising prescription drugs to consumers.

Truthrevolution

nesf wrote: »

Pharma companies make tonnes of money in the vitamin market through their brands. Wyeth owns Centrum, Merck owns Seven Seas etc.


Edit: Actually this is one of the most annoying myths out there: That pharma companies aren't interested in vitamins. They are. Very. If it can be put into pill form and sold for a profit they'll be interested in it and much of the cynical pushing of multi-vitamins etc are a small taste of what it would be like if we had an American type system which allowed advertising prescription drugs to consumers.

I am aware that most of the mainstream vitamin products like centrum, barocca, seven seas etc. are manufactured by the big pharmaceuticals.But im mainly focusing on vitamin D here.While a lot of these products do contain vitamin D it usually comes in the form of ergocalciferol vitamin D2.This form does not have the same potential as cholecalciferol vitamin D3 and is nowhere near as effective (this is also the form we get from direct sunlight exposure).You will find the products that do contain D3 its usually very low potency 200-400 IU.
Now if these companies sold vitamin D3 in high potency form then we really would be getting somewhere......

locum-motion

Truthrevolution wrote: »

...Now if these companies sold vitamin D3 in high potency form then we really would be getting somewhere......

If the evidence (and by that I mean scientific evidence published in reputable, peer-reviewed journals) stacks up in favour of high doses of Vitamin D3, BigPharma will apply for product authorisation for it and put it on the market. If it doesn't, they won't. Simple as.
They've plenty of options for patents on it, even if they can't patent the molecule itself, such as formulating it in a novel way.

opinion guy

Truthrevolution wrote: »

This is a topic i have been researching for a while now so i thought it best to land it here.Id like to discuss the health benefits (and possible dangers) of vitamin D.While there is no doubt this wonderful vitamin brings many health benefits i am somewhat confused as to what is an optimum dosage level.
The RDA is 400IU yet many people are taking 5,000IU a day!
Now i have read that the maximum safe daily limit is 2,000IU daily but there are doctors out there prescribing their patients 50,000IU a day, even one doctor i heard say it was safe to take 100,000IU in one dose!
But when you consider that full body sun exposure (without sunscreen) creates 1000IU per minute its not that far reaching is it??

Well ouchies. RDA's. Yikes. Potentially touchy subject.

The original RDA's were devised in the war years in the US by basically surverying the population and coming up with averages. They've been updated since, but so far as I know they are still mostly just average daily intakes (if I am wrong someone please correct me). ANYHOW the point is - if this remains the case (and i'm not sure on this point), then RDA's are based on the average person - healthy and unhealthy alltogether. And bascially thats not very useful.
Just my 2 cents

Truthrevolution

locum-motion wrote: »

If the evidence (and by that I mean scientific evidence published in reputable, peer-reviewed journals) stacks up in favour of high doses of Vitamin D3, BigPharma will apply for product authorisation for it and put it on the market. If it doesn't, they won't. Simple as.
They've plenty of options for patents on it, even if they can't patent the molecule itself, such as formulating it in a novel way.

A lot of the studies done have not been peer reviewed, but i think research on the benefits of vitamin D is still very much in its infancy.As we speak there is information being discovered about it.The potential for vitamin D is outstanding, its just a pity it will take so long to filter down through the scientific peer review systems.Meanwhile its all up in the air at the moment as to what is a safe dosage level, which is a concern.....

joestingle

I was given 50000IU of Vitamin D for deficiency, I accidentally took 3 weeks worth in a week, I am supposed to take 1 pill per week, what do you think might happen?

locum-motion

joestingle wrote: »

I was given 50000IU of Vitamin D for deficiency, I accidentally took 3 weeks worth in a week, I am supposed to take 1 pill per week, what do you think might happen?

We do not offer medical advice on this forum.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist.