Vitamin D, a helpful link with lots of info

[Marcia2202]

http://vitamind.mercola.com

[SusieS2010]

I don't know the answers to your questions about vitamin D dosing on people with different stages of HCV. My point has been that Dr. Mercola's suggestions are often wrong. The hivandhepatitis site's article on the study with vitamin D did not dose to 5000 units.

Yes,  Dr Mercola has many articles in one place and it is easy. However I prefer to do my research at sites that are trustworthy.

The majority of sites recommend testing for levels and then dosing with between 1000-4000 mcgs. My uneducated guess would be that lower doses would be safest for people with Stage 3/4 because the medications we take often stay longer in the liver because it isn't working up to par. I am going to get tested before I treat again and take what my doctor recommends. He does listen to what I have learned and will research it himself if he doesn't know the answer to my questions.

[Marcia2202]

:-)

[Marcia2202]

Whatever people think about Dr. Mercola, I personally find his advice in regard to Vitamin D excellent.

I prefer to read what is actually published on his site for myself and make up my own mind about it, than having quackwatch.com telling me what to believe or not to believe.

I find that he gives sound advice on this subject and it always comes with a quite straight forward warning, as I have copied below.

WARNING:
There is no way to know if the above recommendations are correct. The ONLY way to know is to test your blood. You might need 4-5 times the amount recommended above. Ideally your blood level of 25 OH D should be 60ng/ml.
Vitamin D levels vary from person to person based on his or her age. If you're considering Vitamin D supplementation, it is crucial that you get the dose that's right for your age. That way, you can maximize the essential benefits of Vitamin D. Otherwise, overdosing on this nutrient will lead you to suffer the risk of irreversible kidney and heart damage, among many other dangerous conditions. To give you an idea of age-appropriate Vitamin D dosage, here are recommendations from Dr. Mercola.

I don't know if you get to the same page I get from that link, but there are so many articles on Vitamin D and they regularly upload the latest news and research on Vitamin D.

I find it great to have all that info gathered in one place, instead of having to find it in hundreds of different places.

[Willy50]

My point was and remains that the idea of inquiry is good on both ends of the spectrum.  Thanks, as mentioned, I no longer will read Mercola as long as he requires my e-mail address.

So far as limits, i don't know the answer, but here is what your article provided;
==========================================
"Patsy Brannon, a professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell University and member of the IOM panel that produced the report, tells the WSJ that the group paid attention to possible risks of taking too much of the vitamin. The group raised the upper limit of safe consumption for vitamin D to 4,000 IUs, saying that “the risk for harm begins to increase” after that. (It also found a 2,000 IU safe intake ceiling for calcium, the other nutrient covered by the report.)

So what happens when people take too much vitamin D? At very high levels — above 10,000 IUs a day — there’s a risk of kidney and tissue damage, the report says. (Here’s a list of case reports of vitamin D toxicity included in the report.)
===============================================

I think that it is better to get a test and then get to a level, rather than taking supplements blindly.  I also think that it could be critical before treating;  I just had a twice failed friend who added Milk thistle and Vit D to exercise pre TX.  This time she RVR'ed and was clear at 4 weeks.

My interest is to read it all.  I also wonder out loud whether the requirements are different for people with a chronic infection.  I also would wonder if the safe levels are different for a stage 1 and a stage 4 decompensating patient.  You can infer that I think they *could* be different.

Bali...... hivandhepatitis; Si!!!!

The Vitamin D council???!!!  LOL; I'm not so certain.  : )  Paypal donation?  

Ummmmm....Hell no!!!  
: )

willy

[Bali05]

general Vit D info:

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/   (non profit)

Vit D and Hep C treatment

http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/2010_conference/easl/docs/0518_2010_b.html

[SusieS2010]

Also, Dr. Mercola recommends 5000 units of vitamin D for adults. Take a look at the article in the Wall Street Journal that appeared last month. they disagree.Too much vit D can be toxic to people with liver or kidney disease.

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2010/11/30/can-too-much-vitamin-d-be-hazardous-to-your-health/

[SusieS2010]

My issue with quackwatch is that one may read their expose on Mercola and then summarily dismiss vitamin D or whatever supplement or therapy.......without thinking or investigation.  We are supposed to write off Mercola as a quack as well as anything he writes about.  So much for scientific method.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
My thing is just the opposite. Some may read his site and think everything is on the up and up. Mercola has received letters from the FDA in the past, asking him to stop making false claims about some of the things he sells. So much for scientific method works both ways.

We don't like to see people with things to sell coming to our hep sites, He didn't come here. but his website mainly sells his "natural" supplements, etc.

[Trinity4]

It's common knowledge that adequate vitamin D levels are not only good for people with hepc or those who are treating but for everyone.  Many people have insufficient levels of vitamin D who are otherwise healthy.  Supplement vitamin D if needed, eat foods rich in vitamin D and allow at least ten minutes of exposure to the sun daily (uncovered skin) to help maintain healthy levels.

Trinity  

[Bali05]

What I like to know is how much serum Vit D3 is too much and some data that proves it.
I think we can all agree by now that adequate Vit D levels on tx and of tx are a good thing.

[fretboard]

Great!  I appreciate the heads up and I'll check it out!
_____________________________________________________________

As far as doctor so-and-so being a quack, I don't know.  Besides, it's only an article.  You read it and you take what you need from it.  If Marcia says it's a good article, then that's good enough for me.

[SusieS2010]

I totally agree with you Willy, Vitamin D is important. But I will take that info from reputable sites and Mercola is not reputable.

[Willy50]

There is ample evidence that Vit D deserves some attention, research and there seem to be abundant reasons to consider adding the vitamin or at minimum looking into getting tested for a deficiency if one has HCV or HIV.

http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=vitamin+d&btnG=Google+Search&domains=natap.org&sitesearch=&sitesearch=natap.org

http://www.google.com/cse?cx=000772985894926410863%3Awvp_6dwxpvm&cof=FORID%3A0&q=vitamin+D&sa=Search

There seems to be evidence and interest at MedHelp as well;

http://www.medhelp.org/search?query=vitamin+D%2C+HCV&camp=top_nav_search

My issue with quackwatch is that one may read their expose on Mercola and then summarily dismiss vitamin D or whatever supplement or therapy.......without thinking or investigation.  We are supposed to write off Mercola as a quack as well as anything he writes about.  So much for scientific method.

By the way..... to be fair..... I was kinda turned off that Mercola won't share his information unless you give him your e-mail address.  Boo hiss.
Natap and Hivandhepatitis.com are better more reliable sites.  

I enjoy reading quackwatch for the rebuttal and I *used* to enjoy reading Mercola as well before the site started harvesting e-mail addies.  I think it's important to research both sides of a subject.

willy

Willy

[James10500]

Allow me to add this.

http://www.natap.org/2010/HCV/082910_01.htm

[SusieS2010]

Look up Dr. Mercola on Quackwatch.Com. You may change your mind about listening to anythng he says.

[comeagain]

Thx for the articel I´m gonna read it through, have saved it!

I have been eating 4000 E a day for about a month also think (Hope) its beneficial for the health.
I´m gonna take my dose now.

Btw I take it in capsels with oliv oil in it.