Vitamin D lower in spite of supplementing

[D Bergy]

I had a blood test for various things Crohn's related and it was good news for the most part. The one test that was low was my vitamin D level. It has dropped from 40 to 20 from Summer to Winter, in spite of supplementing with 1000 iu of D-3 daily.

That is the information I was looking for, as I wanted to home in on a correct daily dosage for Winter. I am going to have to increase my dosage by quite a bit. Luckily, I am going to be going on a cruise in a more sunny climate, so I should be able to boost it up quickly.

I think I will take 4000 iu and see what that does. Anyone have an idea of the level I need to at least maintain a 40? I would like to get above that level, but i do not want to go way over 60 either.

Dan

[Arrowwind09]

With any chronic disease I would go for a level much higher than 40.
Think 60 to 80.

Start with at least 10,000 IU a day for a week then reduce to 5,000 daily. We take 5,000 daily to maintain levels for my husband at 60 and for me 80 or so.

Reck your level after 3 to 4 weeks of supplementing to see where you stand

We have some great vit D threads here you will want to review.

[D Bergy]

Thank you for the dosage reference. I was looking for someone who had been able to maintain a level and what dosages they were using.

I was shooting for 60 or thereabouts.

Dan

[Harry Hirsute]

These things vary from person to person but my parents require about 4,000 IUs in the winter months to reach the 60-65 ng/ml. They have their D levels tested quite often.

[Ted_Hutchinson]

People with Crohn's may have poor absorption through the damaged or inflamed digestive system. You should also be aware that the higher level of inflammation your body has the more vitamin d it uses. It's a chicken and egg situation as it's both cause and effect.

Ideally you should use 1000iu for each 25lbs you weigh.

Country Life, Vitamin D3, 5,000 IU, 200 Softgels
These oil based gel caps are in Medium Chain Triglyceride Oil. Because it's very stable it won't go off so you can chew the capsules rather than swallowing them whole. if you keep the oil in your mouth and swoosh it under your tongue it should be absorbed while in your mouth rather than risk it being lost in your inflamed/damaged digestive tract.
Another suggestion would be to just bite the end off the capsule and massage the contents into your skin. D3 is made near the surface of the skin so this is a natural route for vitamin d uptake. MCT oil is virtually odorless and is easily massaged in and will quickly be metabolized.
Sun exposure and UVB sunlamps are an effective alternative for Crohn's.

Up to 10,000iu is safe even in sunny countries. Using that amount in winter daily is a faster way to raise status. A 25(OH)D test after 2~3 months will show if that is sufficient. Aim for a level above 60ng/ml so your body always has a reserve supply of stored D3 in tissues available to deal with inflammation.

Vitamin D Fights Crohn's
The graph here shows what intake achieves levels above 60/ng/ml


This LEF study also shows what actually happens in practice when people take too little. EVEN 5000IU daily was insufficient to get most people much above 40ng/ml.