Vitamin D malabsorption??

My Blood Vitamin D level remains at rock bottom even after gradually increasing my Vitamin D supplement
to 4000 mg daily.  I also have a malabsorption issue with Vitamin B12.   Could there possibly any
connection and/or what are your thoughts on this ?




This discussion is related to Vitamin D adverse reaction?.

[gymdandee]

Are you on any medications? some can cause the problem

[beatrice44]

I am on several medications.  I do know that the B12 malabsorption is not due to
''medications''.   Could you please name some that might be causing the
malabsorption of Vit D?      Many thankis....

[beatrice44]

I found such a list and I do not take any of those mentioned.
I once read that there needs to be sufficient Ca++ and
Magnesium for proper absorption to occur.   Any truth to
that?

[gymdandee]

Testing for vitamin D
Make sure your doctor checks your 25-hydroxy vitamin D. Levels below 20 are deficient,
20 - 30 borderline, and 30- 50 healthy. The best month to test? November. If you’re
deficient then, you’ll be severely deficient at the end of winter.
Vitamin D from the sun
10 minutes of direct sun on the face and arms 2 to 3 times a week is adequate, March
through October (year round in the Deep South). Even an SPF 8 sun screen, however,
will block vitamin D production by 90%. So get some direct sun and wear sun screen the
rest of the time.
How much do you take?
Deficient? 50,000 units in a single capsule once a week for eight weeks works well for
most. Then 50,000 units once or twice a month. The usual daily recommended amount is
800 to 1200 units. if you’re usiing 400 unit tablets.
What about toxicity?
Most experts agree 5,000 to 10,000 units a day are safe. Toxicity causes absorption of too
much calcium resulting in kidney stones, kidney failure and calcification of the arteries.
The above recommendation is well within the safe range.
                                            FOOD VITAMIN D (IU)
Halibut (3 oz cooked) 680,Catfish (3 oz cooked) 570,Pink Salmon, canned (1/4 cup) 400
Tuna, canned (1/4 cup) 130, Milk (1 cup) 100
Minute Maid Calcium + Vit D OJ (8 oz) 100
Important: Actual amounts of Vitamin D in some fortified products may be less than
claimed.
we cannot manufacture B12. We can get it only from the diet. It is not present in plant
products. Vegetarians and those with a primarily plant-based diet will need to supplement with vitamin B12.
B12 is produced solely by bacteria. It is found in animal products such as meat, fish, poultry, milk, and eggs (although eggs contain a factor that blocks B12 absorption).  pasteurized milk may not be the best source of vitamin B12 because the pasteurization process deforms the milk proteins that aid in absorption. Liver is an excellent source of
vitamin B12.
The absorption of vitamin B12 is a complex process. B12 must be cleaved from its protein
carriers by an acidic pH of the stomach. If you take antacids or use any acid-blocking medications, such as Nexium, Prilosec, AcipHex, or Zantac, you will not free vitamin B12 for absorption.
Also, a protein, called intrinsic factor, must be produced in the stomach to bind with vitamin B12 to aid in its absorption. Patients who take acidblocking
medications will not produce intrinsic factor and are destined to become B12-deficient.
An adult body stores approximately 2 mg to 5 mg of vitamin B12. Most of that (80 percent)
is stored in the liver. Vitamin B12 is continually utilized in the body in the production of energy, digestion of proteins and fats, and the manufacture and protection of DNA. It must be continually replenished or symptoms of deficiency can manifest. It is estimated that vitamin B12 deficiency affects 10 percent to 15 percent of individuals over the
age of 60. Remember, if you take an acid-blocking medication, you are guaranteed to have low vitamin B12.
There are many reasons why you can be low in vitamin B12 and feeling the many effects of the lack of it. These include: Pernicious anemia, Atrophic gastritis, Stomach surgery is common cause of vitamin B12 deficiency. All patients who undergo stomach surgery need to have their vitamin B12 status evaluated, or better yet, to supplement with injectable vitamin B12, Celiac disease, Multiple sclerosis patients.
B12-2000 from Biotics Research you can google it

[beatrice44]

Thanks.  I do know that my Father had to take B12 shots as well.
And I do take Nexium.   However:  I also know that my next closest
sister has a normal Vit D3 and takes Prilosec.    hmmm?

[Paxiled]

4000 Vitamin D is far above the recommended maximum, which is normally around 400 to 800IU.  I would look into liver and gall bladder problems, since both B12 and D are fat soluble.  

[Red_Star]

All acid blocking drugs are short term drugs only. A maximum of 8 weeks however in the case of PPI's (eg: nexium, prilosec), the FDA made a statement to take up to 14 days, 3 times a year.  There is a good reason for this. You NEED stomach acid to absorb essential nutrients and kill of bacteria, fungi, parasites. To add, nexium is more powerful than prilosec.

Low stomach acid leads impairs the body's ability to absorb vital nutrients and this will affect your health. You also need stomach acid to kill off bacteria, fungi and parasites.  Nutrients that are malabsorbed due to insufficient/lowered stomach acid include: calcium, vitamin B12, iron, magnesium, selenium, zinc, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6 and vitamin E.

Hypomagnesemia (magnesium deficiency) is the newest warning out from the FDA on PPI's;  a magnesium deficiency can start in as little as 3 months although the average time is one year after starting a PPI. Magnesium is the most important co factor for vitamin D absorption.

Digestive enzyme supplements can be used for high or low stomach acid (low acid is the most common cause of acid reflux however). You can trial betaine HCI with pepsin supplements or try apple cider vinegar to make up for stomach acid insufficiency.

"The popular belief is that acid reflux is due to an excessive amount of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. New science has revealed that this is not the case. GERD is most often caused by too little hydrochloric acid being secreted by the stomach.

During digestion the stomach secretes acid to lower its pH to around 1.5-2.5 range. More protein in the meal results in a greater need for stomach acid. Individuals with non-obstructive acid reflux are often not able to get their pH low enough. The LES is known to be a pH sensitive valve that initiates closure when pH drops under 3.0. When the stomach does not have enough acid, the LES remains open and acid can spill into the esophageal region and damage the tissue."