Question for Mrs. D Re: Vitamin D3

Kitty · 06-01-2009, 05:21 AM

It's been reported that Vitamin D3 can be helpful for MS and other health concerns.

Is there a difference in D3 and other "D" vitamins? Are there risks in taking a high dosage.....at least 10,000 I.U.'s?

http://www.vrp.com/articles.aspx?ProdID=2130

Thanks for your help!!

mrsD · 06-01-2009, 07:47 AM

This is a good question.

From what I know, and it is not much (I don't think doctors know that much either):

There has been a study on people with normal health, who took
10,000 IU daily for about 3 months. They showed no serious effects.

Here are some studies:
This one with MS patients:

Quote:

Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Sep;86(3):645-51.Click here to read Links
Safety of vitamin D3 in adults with multiple sclerosis.
Kimball SM, Ursell MR, O'Connor P, Vieth R.

Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. samantha.kimball@utoronto.ca

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D3 may have therapeutic potential in several diseases, including multiple sclerosis. High doses of vitamin D(3) may be required for therapeutic efficacy, and yet tolerability--in the present context, defined as the serum concentration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] that does not cause hypercalcemia--remains poorly characterized. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to characterize the calcemic response to specific serum 25(OH)D concentrations. DESIGN: In a 28-wk protocol, 12 patients in an active phase of multiple sclerosis were given 1200 mg elemental Ca/d along with progressively increasing doses of vitamin D3: from 700 to 7000 microg/wk (from 28 000 to 280 000 IU/wk). RESULTS: Mean (+/- SD) serum concentrations of 25(OH)D initially were 78 +/- 35 nmol/L and rose to 386 +/- 157 nmol/L (P < 0.001). Serum calcium concentrations and the urinary ratio of calcium to creatinine neither increased in mean values nor exceeded reference values for any participant (2.1-2.6 mmol/L and <1.0, respectively). Liver enzymes, serum creatinine, electrolytes, serum protein, and parathyroid hormone did not change according to Bonferroni repeated-measures statistics, although parathyroid hormone did decline significantly according to the paired t test. Disease progression and activity were not affected, but the number of gadolinium-enhancing lesions per patient (assessed with a nuclear magnetic brain scan) decreased from the initial mean of 1.75 to the end-of-study mean of 0.83 (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Patients' serum 25(OH)D concentrations reached twice the top of the physiologic range without eliciting hypercalcemia or hypercalciuria. The data support the feasibility of pharmacologic doses of vitamin D3 for clinical research, and they provide objective evidence that vitamin D intake beyond the current upper limit is safe by a large margin.

PMID: 17823429 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE

from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum

This is another one:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum

Both involve D3 not D2.

This one says 20,000 IU daily is safe:

Quote:

Nutr Rev. 2008 Oct;66(10 Suppl 2):S178-81.Click here to read Links
Vitamin D: criteria for safety and efficacy.
Heaney RP.

Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska 68131, USA. rheaney@creighton.edu

The functional status indicator for vitamin D, for both safety and efficacy, is serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration. Efficacy for several health endpoints requires levels of 80 nmol/L or higher. Toxicity occurs at levels of 500 nmol/L or higher. The input needed for efficacy, in addition to typical food and cutaneous inputs, will usually be 1000-2000 IU/day of supplemental cholecalciferol. Toxicity is associated only with excessive supplemental intake (usually well above 20,000 IU/day).

PMID: 18844846 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE

from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...ubmed_RVDocSum

The data keep changing in regards to this subject.
Previously it has been stated that excessive D manifests as
osteoporosis and/or accompanied by hypercalcemia. But the studies do not show this yet with the interventions studied.

I would use only D3 since it has a short half life, and make sure your physician monitors you closely. But you know, it seems so positive that D3 may become a "miracle" drug!

I myself take 4000IU now during the winter. I see many benefits for myself this season. (last season I did 2000IU). I get alot of sun the summers, so I taper off it then. Much of my improvement has been in pain and depression (from my chronic arthritis). I have been getting calcium deposits in my first knuckles on one hand this year..thumb and forefinger. I don't know if that is related...they are called Heberden's nodes and are a sign of OA.

I do think taking adequate magnesium is a good idea too. Magnesium works with calcium in the bone. Make sure you get the RDA daily, either from food or supplements.

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