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Prev: High Vitamin D Supplementation May Be Needed for Women in Middle East
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From: betaine_hcl on 6 Jul 2007 02:57 When reading the following article here are some things to "remember." First, the optimal 25-OH-vitamin D level is at least 75 or 80 nmol/L. Indeed, some suggest 100 nmol/L and others suggest 125 nmol/L as useful goal points to reach. Second, others workers have shown that when a single large dose of vitamin D2 is use with a size of 40000 IU (?) the serum level actually will drop below it starting point after a number of weeks... 2 or 3 weeks as I recall. In other words, vitamin D2 can result in a bumpy ride that may on balance do more harm than good if the doses are too far apart. Third that vitamin D2 is inferior to vitamin D3 even though they are count in the same units. Fourth, public health authorities are years behind the times on this topic and need to be retired or fired. If someone claims the 400 IU of vit D is a useful dose they are in this class. ======================================= High Vitamin D Supplementation May Be Needed for Women in Middle East By David Douglas NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Jun 25 - In certain Middle Eastern and other countries where conservative dress curtails exposure to sunlight, high levels of vitamin D supplementation may be needed to raise serum levels sufficiently in women, investigators report. "When sunlight exposure -- the main source for vitamin D in humans -- is limited," Dr. Hussein F. Saadi told Reuters Health, "much higher dietary intake of vitamin D is needed than currently recommended, especially for lactating women." As reported in the June issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Dr. Saadi and colleagues at the United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, studied vitamin D levels in 90 lactating and 88 nulliparous women. Many dressed to cover their whole bodies, including their hands and faces, while outside of their homes. Only two of the women, one in each group, were not vitamin D deficient at entry. All the women were randomly assigned to receive 2000 IU of vitamin D2 daily or 60,000 IU in one dose each month. The investigators note that vitamin D2 is the only high-dose calciferol available in the UAE. Although both monthly and daily dosing significantly increased levels and was safe, only 21 of the 71 women (30%) who completed the 3-month study reached the recommended serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level of 50 nmol/L or more. "Doses of ergocalciferol as high as 2000 IU per day were marginally effective in ensuring adequate vitamin D status," Dr. Saadi concluded. He and his colleagues write, "If the more potent vitamin D3 preparation is not available, higher doses of vitamin D2 than currently studied may be needed." Dr. Saadi added, "When compliance or adherence with a daily regimen of vitamin D supplementation is an issue, monthly dosing appears to be a safe and effective alternative in ensuring adequate vitamin D status in subjects at risk for vitamin D deficiency." Am J Clin Nutr 2007;85:1565-1571. http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/558793 |