Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How Much Vitamin D Is Too Much? A Case Report and Review of the Literature

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 149 posts

Re: How Much Vitamin D Is Too Much? A Case Report and Review of the Literature

#81

Post by scythe »

copperx wrote: post #58
LegitShady wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"megadosing" doesn't sound like its required for any reason unless you're malnourished, in which case your doctor would tell you how much to take. Adjusting your diet to not require "megadosing" due to malnourishment sounds like a better plan for long term health.

In addition, studies suggest that high levels of B6 and B12 in the blood are correlated with higher risk of certain cancers, such as prostate and lung cancer. In my opinion, having mild nutrient deficiency is not cause for alarm if you're a fully grown adult, and in fact, studies suggest that malnutrition might confer a longer lifespan.

>studies suggest that malnutrition might confer a longer lifespan.

There are some data suggesting that inadequate supply of this or that nutrient reduces certain aging mechanisms and leads to longer lifespans in a laboratory setting. However, outside of a laboratory setting these nutrient deficiencies can affect the body's ability to fight infections and heal injuries, which on average cancels out any benefits.

More generally, trying to increase lifespan by adjusting the diet seems to me like trying to fix a car by playing with the buttons and knobs on the dashboard. You might obtain a small improvement, but you're not really going to get anywhere unless you open the hood.

Re: How Much Vitamin D Is Too Much? A Case Report and Review of the Literature

#82

Post by e9 »

TedDoesntTalk wrote: post #62
fizwhiz wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I sure hope so because I've been taking half a serving of these little suckers for a while now: https://amzn.com/B001LXRWWE Here's a breakdown of the DV for some of the vitamins for a full serving: B1 = 33x (yes, 3333%) B2 = 30x B6 = 40x B12= 83x

Why would you need so much?

If you do strenuous workouts frequently then this helps you recover faster and workout longer. If you are just couch potato then it’s actually detrimental and you can develop all sorts of problems including peripheral neuropathy.

Re: How Much Vitamin D Is Too Much? A Case Report and Review of the Literature

#84

Post by innomatics »

kevinmgranger wrote: post #24
PragmaticPulp wrote: post #5

The title doesn’t match the abstract. This isn’t a study of the tolerable upper limit of Vitamin D intake. It’s a case report of a single individual who was taking astronomical doses of Vitamin D with disastrous consequences. It’s certainly possible to take too much vitamin D without coming anywhere near the silly doses this person was consuming. Anyone taking aggressive vitamin D doses should invest in a vitamin D t…

Megadosing B12 (if your diet isn't already sufficient in it, which is common amongst certain vegan diets) is still a good idea, no? I recognize this might be the only exception.

B3 overdose is dangerous if you have susceptibility to gout.

This happened to me after I inadvertently megadosed by consuming a knock-off Berocca drink containing something like 10x RDI.

That was over 10 years ago. I have not had a gout attack since.

Edited: Risk is actually for Vit B3 (Niacin). The drink I had contained massive amounts of B12, B3 and others.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-niacin/art-2036...

Re: How Much Vitamin D Is Too Much? A Case Report and Review of the Literature

#85

Post by zuminator »

copperx wrote: post #58
LegitShady wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"megadosing" doesn't sound like its required for any reason unless you're malnourished, in which case your doctor would tell you how much to take. Adjusting your diet to not require "megadosing" due to malnourishment sounds like a better plan for long term health.

In addition, studies suggest that high levels of B6 and B12 in the blood are correlated with higher risk of certain cancers, such as prostate and lung cancer. In my opinion, having mild nutrient deficiency is not cause for alarm if you're a fully grown adult, and in fact, studies suggest that malnutrition might confer a longer lifespan.

Are those malnutrition studies about nutrient deficiency or caloric deficiency?

Re: How Much Vitamin D Is Too Much? A Case Report and Review of the Literature

#87

Post by sneak »

sva_ wrote: post #47
kevinmgranger wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Megadosing B12 (if your diet isn't already sufficient in it, which is common amongst certain vegan diets) is still a good idea, no? I recognize this might be the only exception.

The trouble with Vitamin D is afaik, as with some other vitamins, that it is fat-soluble rather than water-soluble. So the excess of the Vitamin won't be flushed out through the urine - but rather accumulates in the fat. At some point this accumulation may lead to toxicity ("Hypervitaminosis D" [1]). Personally, I dose 4000-5000 IU D3+K2 in the darker seasons and that has been working well for me. Vitamin B12 is wate…

It's my understanding that oral availability is lower than IM, and that people who are deficient get 70,000 IU injections.

I'm entirely untrained, but my amateur evaluation of the situation leads me to take 50,000 IU orally once each week or two. I imagine that twice that amount would be fine, too.

Re: How Much Vitamin D Is Too Much? A Case Report and Review of the Literature

#88

Post by sprite »

all_blue_chucks wrote: post #22
fareesh wrote: post #15

On this page it says the recommended dosage is 600 IU https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessiona... Are there any other opinions?

Yes. 2000 IU and 5000 IU daily are common recommendations from medical groups in the USA.

I take 5000iu daily. My levels are fine. They were low before I started taking vitamin d.

Re: How Much Vitamin D Is Too Much? A Case Report and Review of the Literature

#89

Post by mcswell »

vl wrote: post #44
fareesh wrote: post #15

On this page it says the recommended dosage is 600 IU https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessiona... Are there any other opinions?

I live in Seattle and taking 2000 UI daily barely got me to “sligtly deficient”. Now I upgraded to 4000 UI daily hoping to get to the lower part of the normal range. I talked to the doctor and she told me that among blood tests she ordered most people have slightly/moderately deficient levels, very few low normal, and over the years only one person tested high normal (i.e. when taking supplement would be detrimental)…

and especially if you live where people don't tan, they rust.

Mind you, Seattle is the only city I've ever really liked, and I wish I could live there now.

Re: How Much Vitamin D Is Too Much? A Case Report and Review of the Literature

#90

Post by PragmaticPulp »

drgoodvibe wrote: post #25

I’ve had a genetic test done, after being told that I have significantly lower than average vitamin d levels it turned out I’m genetically predisposed to low vitamin d and b12 absorption. So I have to supplement significantly more than what is normal. After doing so, my colds have been far less severe then in the past. What made me go to such lengths testing myself was that I thought I was doing everything right and…

> So aside from testing your blood serum levels you should consider a genetic test to see how well you absorb vitamin d. You may benefit from above average dosage (consult your dr. Ymmv)

The only thing that matters is the serum level. Testing your blood levels is like closing the feedback loop. Levels too low? Increase dose. Too high? Back off.

Genetic testing isn’t necessary or even really helpful. Just get the basic serum levels tested and adjust accordingly. It really doesn’t have to be complicated.

Post reply on HN