How much vitamin D to take each day?

[FanGirlX]

I currently take a multi vitamin which contains a small amount of vitamin d. Thinking of taking an extra vitamin d supplement to boost my immune system and hopefully protect against COVID.

How much should I take? Given it's winter.

I take a 1000 dose one each day, but there are 3000 and higher doses. I recently had a blood test and it didn’t come back as being low. My adult DS had a blood test and it came back saying he was low in vit D, so he takes a 3000 strength one.

I listened to a podcast by a GP (it’s called the doctors kitchen). I can’t remember the reason why but while he advised everyone take a vitamin D supplement, he advised against taking a high strength dose of vitamin D unless you have a known issue with processing vitamin D. Is there any evidence that high strength vitamin D protects against coronavirus? If so take the amount recommended in the relevant study?

My vit d was through the floor and my doctor prescribed 50,000 iui once a week. It really made a good impact on my levels, but didnt push them that high. 50,000 a week is about 7000 a day. I would use that as an upper limit for a 6 week burst and then maybe bring it down. Prior to the prescription I was taking 1000 a day and that clearly was useless.

Everyone is different though, so I am just an example, not what everyone should do

You can also get your vitamin d levels measured in a test via Medichecks if you dont want to go via the GP. Then you will know exactly what you are dealing with.

You can take up to 100ug/4000IU without medical advice. I wouldn't take more than than without GP input

I take the max over the counter dose, on medical advice. I had 4-5 prescriptions of vit d following deficiencies so my GP decided I needed to take a decent amount daily. My vit d has been fine ever since.

I caught Covid in August and was off sick for 7 weeks so not sure how much good the vitamin d did in that sense!

There's a lot of sense in taking vit d daily, especially in winter in Britain, but I would just take the standard amount the NHS recommends - I wouldn't go higher without medical advice as you can have too much vitamin d.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/

You need magnesium if you're supplementing vitamin d.

@SeaToSki

My vit d was through the floor and my doctor prescribed 50,000 iui once a week. It really made a good impact on my levels, but didnt push them that high. 50,000 a week is about 7000 a day. I would use that as an upper limit for a 6 week burst and then maybe bring it down. Prior to the prescription I was taking 1000 a day and that clearly was useless.

Everyone is different though, so I am just an example, not what everyone should do

You can also get your vitamin d levels measured in a test via Medichecks if you dont want to go via the GP. Then you will know exactly what you are dealing with.

I was taking 1000 a day, tested and came out low (36, so not desperately low) so given 20,000 twice a week. Got to retest after 12 weeks.

According to my doctor your blood vit d should be between 55 and 85 for it to be working really effectively in your body. Mine was 18 while taking 1000 iui a day but bumped up to 45 when taking 50000 iui a week for 6 weeks.

@Buzzinwithbez

You need magnesium if you're supplementing vitamin d.

And vit K I believe?

I take 4000IU after I had a high dose course
Alongside a multi vit which has k2 etc in

How much you need depends on what your level of vitamin d is now. Taking a tiny amount in a multi bit if you are deficient will do nothing.

I take 4000iu a day (every other day in summer) and they keeps my levels about right.

If you are deficient you need a loading dose which from memory is 300,000 over 6-8 weeks but you can check that in the nice guidelines.

Personally I would test your vit d see where you are at now, take a suitable amount and recheck in a couple months.

While on high dose vitamin d, you should probably test periodically as too much vit d is toxic.

I take 2000 per day in the winter

I take 1000iu per day in the winter (with vitamin k)

Vitamin D has been on my radar for many years after being part of a study on breast cancer outcomes and vitamin D levels.

I use the Better You spray. When tested last year in November my levels were over 100 so for me this is effective but everyone is different so I’d recommend getting levels checked to see if you need a loading dose or if your levels are ok and you need a lower supplementation.

Everyone should take it from Oct-March but individual needs will vary massively.

I use a Sperti Vitamin D lamp. 5 minutes every second day.

My teenage son was diagnosed vit d deficient recently. He has been told to use the 3000 spray for 8 weeks then 1000 spray permanently. He is very fair and burns easily so he doesn't tend to have much skin on show even during the summer so she recommended the 1000 dose over standard 400

www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/10/3596

This paper discusses vitamin D supplementation and covid. Their suggestion is 4000-10000iu per day to maintain the optimal serum level of 40-60ng/ml. If no additional calcium supplements are given with vitamin D and a K2 supplement taken as well, there isn't an increase in atherosclerosis risk.

Dr John Campbell on You tube has a number of really informative videos about vitamin D. This one discusses this paper, but there are many others on the channel.

You can check your own vitamin D levels at home with a fingerprick blood test (I ise thriva, but there are others). That would give you an idea of your current level. There is an online calculator that can help you work out what level of supplementation would increase your serum level appropriately if you wish to. www.grassrootshealth.net/project/dcalculator/

I think the discussion is that when ill with either Covid or other respiratory diseases then it’s often found that vitamin D levels are low. So either illness causes vitamin D levels to drop and therefore higher supplementation is necessary or are you more likely to become ill due to low levels of vitamin D? Bit of a chicken and egg situation.

Either way supplementation is good. When my DS had Covid recently (asymptomatic) I upped my dose and made sure he was getting his daily spray.

If you want to boost your immune system, then along with vitamin d, make sure you’re eating lots of fruit and veg as vitamin c is really important to fight infections. You can’t make or store Vit c in your body so it’s good to get a regular ‘flow’ of it from food.
Iron is also important as well as zinc and some others.