What is the latest update on D2 versus D3? I have read confklicting reports: about half claim that D3 is superior, one says D2 is toxic, while the other half claim that D2 is just as efgfective in small doses.
I am searching a vegan source of vitamin D but understand D3 is fish based. which D could a vegan take?
The D2 vs D3 debate is solved. Reseachers into Vitamin d state that 'D2 should no longer be used for a supplement'. One study that compared vitamin d2 vs vitamin d3 gave 300,000 IU's all at once. The Vitamin d gave much higher blood levels and more imporatantly the vitamin d 2 DID NOT SUPPRESS the high parathyroid hormone levels that were caused from the low Vit d.
There's no comparison.Here's some research:
http://www.easy-immune-health.com/Vitamin-D3.html
Having said that, D2 is not going to HURT you. ANY vitamin D will make you toxic if you take too much, but d2 has a very long safety record and will only make you toxic if you take too much- same as D3. The best source of vegan vitamin d is sunlight. If you want to take D3, you may have to compromise on your strict vegan stance. Otherwise, if you can't get enough sun, then Mercola also sells Vitamin D producing tanning beds.
Kerri Knox, RN
Functional Medicine Practitioner
http://www.easy-immune-health.com
I was recently tested and my vit d levels were 20. My doctor put me on 50,000 iu one time a week (prescription strength). As I was reading an article on this site, it mentioned the pres strength is usually D2. When I called the pharmacy, they told me it was in fact D2. I ordered the vit d spray from mercola but I am wondering how I convert the d2-d3 so that I know how much I should be taking. According to the article about 4500iu a day would be optimal according to my weight but I am thinking I should be increasing it because I am deficient. Any thoughts? Thanks so much.
I am one of the 4 in 100,000 people that have had my parathyroids removed "by mistake" during total thyroidectomy. This happend in 1996. I had to diagnose myself and take the information to my doctor who told me it was all in my head. I changed doctors. It is a life changing event and I wish it had not happened to me or any one else. I have a couple of other problems that exacerbate the lack of calcium and other essential vitamins. I have had gastric bypass surgery in 2004 and still am not able to eat which makes good nutrition impossible. I vomit almost every day. I not able to eat any meat, potatoes, tomatoes, milk, eggs, chichen or fish. It make eating a big challenge. I take 6 600mg +D vitamins every day. I take 4 to 6 Calcitriol every day and have for the last 12 years. I was told by my Endo (from Phoenix, AZ) to take 19 500mg Calcium pills daily plus 2 to 4 Tums daily. I now have Stage 4 Kidney Failure. I also have Type 2 Diabetes but it has been controlled since the bypass surgery. I have never had a sugar over 100 since the surgery. I was diagnosed with Type 2 two years before the surgery and was on several different pills to control the sugar. I have severe anemia and have many labs with Calcium levels between 6 and 7. Of course I have hypoparathyroid symptoms when the calcium is low. Due to the bypass surgery I cannot take oral iron so have had many, many, many, IV's of both iron and calcium. I have had two bouts of Beriberi. I actually lost my job for incompetence due to the Beriberi but am now on SSD. I sometimes think taking all that calcium for all those years is what casued my kidney failure but the Nephrologist says it was the diabetes. Do you know anyone who has taken that much calcium + D in your experience. I took it for about 8 years before I could not look at at calcium pill without getting sick. I have a longer list of diagnosis but these deal most with vitamin D. I lived in Lake Havasu AZ until just 3 months ago and was not able to find D3 even though my doctor did suggest it. Do I need Calcitriol AND calcium +D? I have a new doctor here and he seems only concerned with my general health. In LHC is saw a Internal Medicine MD, a Nephrologist, an Oncologist (I also a blood dyscrasia which required a bone marrow biopsy. I'm supposed to have labs for Multiple Myeloma every 3 months but have not since moving here to Pardise, CA. I have not seen a Nephrologist or Urologist either. After saying all this I will say I have never had Vit D toxicity. I am a challange for most doctors but I am still alive and not on dialysis.
Dr. Mercola,
Per you advisement I have been taking 20,000IU for two weeks and had my levels retested last week. They went from 20 to 98. Yeah! Do you think I should continue at 10,000IU as you recommended or should I just take 5,000IU? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.
Carly
The clinic I get my blood drawn sends it to Elmhurst Memorial Hospital for processing. Does that help?