[MelodyL]

Because Alan was found to be deficient the doctor gave him a prescription for a once a week dose of 50,000. Once a week!!!!

Now if one goes in the sun for 5 minutes, I hear you get 100,000 international units. Now I understand because used to NEVER go in the sun, why this man would be deficient. He now gets up early and I have to poke and prod him but I get him outside for 5 minutes (sometimes 20, if we are doing a wash), He sits outside and soaks up the sun.

So here's my question. If you can get 100,000 from 5 minutes, well, I'm in the sun doing my walks many times a day. What the heck am I getting? a million international units??

And now for the really good question. Why didn't the doctor simply say "Alan, I want you in the sun for 10 minutes a day" Adding it up, that's 200,000 a day versus 50,000 once a week.

Maybe it's the fact that the 50,000 comes in a pill??

I was sitting outside the other day for 5 or so minutes soaking up the sun and I was saying "if they give people a pill containing 50,000 international units, why on earth don't the doctors say "go outside and get some sun"

thanks much if you can clarify this for me.

I understand the whole malabsorbtion thing. It means that his body was never absorbing any Vitamin D (because he never went outside).

So why give pills when the answer is the SUN??

Melody

And I just read your previous posts on various sorts of D. D3, D2. I'm still learning

[Kitt]

You more than likely need more than 5 minutes in the sun. It also depends on the time of the year, where you live, etc. Here are a couple of sites concerning Vitamin D.

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/ar...ough-vitamin-d

http://nutrition.about.com/od/askyou...f/sunlight.htm

[zimmer127]

I think a lot of people just don't absorb vitamin D very well. I was out in the sun every day with no sunscreen - enough to get a decent tan but my vitamin D level was in the severely low range of 11. Now I take a total of 45,000 iu every week and the level is finally good. As we age some of us just can't absorb it I guess, plus there are probably other underlying causes. Possibly statins can lower cholesterol too much. We need cholesterol to make vitamin D.

[MelodyL]

Originally Posted by Kitt

You more than likely need more than 5 minutes in the sun. It also depends on the time of the year, where you live, etc. Here are a couple of sites concerning Vitamin D.

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/ar...ough-vitamin-d

http://nutrition.about.com/od/askyou...f/sunlight.htm

Wow, fascinating stuff. I'm glad I had my salmon tonight. Because one of those articles said D3 is better than D2, I wonder what kind of D the sun gives us? I'm going to go look this up.

Now I'm on a D kick!!

lol
thanks much

Melody

[mrsD]

Answer here:

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/

Caucasian skin produces approximately 10,000 IU vitamin D in response to 20–30 minutes summer sun exposure—50 times more than the US government's recommendation of 200 IU per day!

This is a generalization, and dependent on skin pigmentation.
The darker the skin, the longer required.

It is also thought that older people are less efficient in this than younger.

Also cofactors are needed:

Vitamin D's Co-factors

Vitamin D has co-factors that the body needs in order to utilize vitamin D properly. They are:

* magnesium
* zinc
* vitamin K2
* boron
* a tiny amount of vitamin A

Magnesium is the most important of these co-factors. In fact, it is common for rising vitamin D levels to exacerbate an underlying magnesium deficiency. If one is having problems supplementing with vitamin D, a magnesium deficiency could be the reason why.

[glenntaj]

--the manufacture of vitamin D3 in the skin is subect to a feedback mechanism, which varies from person to person--after a certain amount is made, the skin pigmentation changes and the chemical reaction that produces D3 can no longer advance without a sufficient refractory period (which is many hours in most people). Generally, you know you've reached this state when the skin starts to turn pink.

Ted Hutchinson has written a lot about this process on Braintalk and other places (he's posted here intermittently). Googling "Ted Hutchinson Vitamin D" gets you a lot of material.

[MelodyL]

Originally Posted by glenntaj

--the manufacture of vitamin D3 in the skin is subect to a feedback mechanism, which varies from person to person--after a certain amount is made, the skin pigmentation changes and the chemical reaction that produces D3 can no longer advance without a sufficient refractory period (which is many hours in most people). Generally, you know you've reached this state when the skin starts to turn pink.

Ted Hutchinson has written a lot about this process on Braintalk and other places (he's posted here intermittently). Googling "Ted Hutchinson Vitamin D" gets you a lot of material.

So I'll just be googling Ted Huchinson, obviously.

And I have light skin as does Alan.

And at 63, I'M NOT OLD!!! Maybe Alan is, BUT NOT ME!!

lol lol lol lol lol lol lol

Melody

[mrsD]

Ted, usually just copies the Vitamindcouncil website and their newsletter:

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/

And another good resource is:

http://www.grassrootshealth.net/

If it seems like alot of information, it IS! You can study both sites a little bit at a time each day.

There is no need to Google around really when these two sites are quoted everywhere.

[Kitt]

Originally Posted by MelodyL

I wonder what kind of D the sun gives us? I'm going to go look this up.

Now I'm on a D kick!!

lol
thanks much

Melody

Vitamin D3 as you probably have found out by now. And there are so many factors which enter into it as the articles say such as color of skin, where you live, pollution, time of the year, etc.

[Susancarter]

Very good question MelodyL! I found something to add the conversation here:***
As per the link, it is difficult to tell How much vitamin D should one take because it relies on so many personal factors like age, body weight, percent of body fat, latitude, skin coloration, season of the year, use of sun block, individual variation in sun exposure etc.