Vitamin D 25(OH)D TEST BARGAIN.

[Ted_Hutchinson]

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Grassrootshealth Vitamin D testing trial.

I have just found out about this from David Mendosa's blog

I've signed up myself and partner for the full 5 year trial. Participation includes 2 25(OH)D tests each year so I will be able to keep my status at the 60~70ng/ml 150~175nmol/l required for optimum disease prevention.
The cost of this trial is $30 every 6 months and that's roughly £20ish.

It only takes a minute to sign up and the test kit should arrive in a week or so. The cheapest UK private option I'm aware of is The Doctors Laboratory They will do a test for £40, admittedly is a Diasorin test which is the best but this ZRT test comes well recommended by Dr Cannell of the Vitamin D council and there are a lot of big Vitamin D names on the Grassroots panel so if they can't get it right then we're in serious trouble. You also have to go to your doctors for the Doctors Laboratory test, these ZRT TESTS a just a home !!!!! your finger, drop blood on test strip then return in post. Bear in mind they normally sell for $ 75.00

[Codswallop]

This is very helpful. Thank you very much indeed Ted.

[Ted_Hutchinson]

I've just received my test kit and will be posting it back tomorrow.

You just drop a couple of drops of blood on a special tissue paper they provide. I was interested to see their report that of the first 500people they've tested on this scheme 60% were below 40ng 100nmol/l and bearing in mind the scheme was launched in California and the first people to respond are likely to be those who are aware of the value of Vitamin D this is a pretty poor result. If people who are knowledgeable and interested in the subject are underestimating their intake/levels then it's likely that others less well informed will be lower.

I don't suppose I have to remind you why I am trying to stay above 50ng 125nmol/l or have my Calcitriol hormone sytem operating a Vmax.

[sean09]

Hi i have just got into this whole supplement thing and have also just ordered a yearly trial for myself ,can you post when you get your results?and also give some info in regards to (1).how much international units you currently take daily and (2 )how many you intend to take depending on said results .thanks for great info btw .I myself have ordered four bottles of 120 ,5000ius d3 in the softgel form which i will start takeing one daily after i get back my results(if there 20 or less )

[sparklymessygirl]

Hi - Well thanks very much for this link - I've signed up for one year. I am on day 3 of taking vitamin D but I think I will stop until I get the results of my test and then start taking them up again.

Sparkly

[Ted_Hutchinson]

Originally Posted by sparklymessygirl

Hi - Well thanks very much for this link - I've signed up for one year. I am on day 3 of taking vitamin D but I think I will stop until I get the results of my test and then start taking them up again.

Sparkly

I hope no one else follows Sparkly's example.
This shows average UK Adult status month by month It is reasonable to suppose most UK adults are typical of the average and are around a third of the status needed for optimum functioning of Calcitriol.

we also know how long it takes to raise status from 75nmol/l up to 135nmol/l using 5000iu/daily.
We are starting from a much lower baseline than those folks in Omaha, we don't have the amount of sun they have, nor the same number of days each year when UVB reaches the ground. We don't have Vitamin D fortified milk or cereals they do. They can also buy effective strength D3 supplements over the counter, we can't.

So it will take UK readers longer to achieve the same result and the longer you delay the longer it will take.

There seems to me to be absolutely no need to delay starting to supplement. It is not as if anyone in the UK reading this is likely to have a status which will, with the addition of 5000iu/daily, tip them into the danger zone.

It is sense for people who have been using 5000iu/daily for around 3months to get status checked but that isn't to check for safety reasons. The reason is to find out just how much more D3 you are going to need to get to a sensible level. Dr Davis finds at latitude 42 it usually takes women 5000iu/daily and men 6000iu/d. Because we are further north, don't have so much sun, don't have so many days when UVB reaches ground level, don't have fortified milk/cereals etc we will need more. The purpose of the test is to find out how much MORE you are going to need to reach the 60~70ng/ml 150~175nmol/l that keeps you above the level associated with most chronic illness. I cannot understand the logic of anyone who chooses to stay in a vulnerable position when the cost of supplementing is so trivial.

[moneysaving pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Ted_Hutchinson

I don't suppose I have to remind you why I am trying to stay above 50ng 125nmol/l or have my Calcitriol hormone sytem operating a Vmax.

I hope that's a typo Ted, as it's nonsense as it reads at present. You do know what Vmax is don't you?

[sparklymessygirl]

Well, I am suitably chastised

Given that you say the test will arrive in 7 days and that I have gone 41 years without vitamin D supplementation, I doubt a further 2 or three weeks will cause irreparable harm.
The reason I am thinking of stopping is to find out if my current diet provides me with sufficient levels because I eat a lot of eggs. I am curious about my levels without supplementation.
I am happy to take your advice though as I am sure it is well-meaning and well-informed and will think about it.

Best wishes
Sparkly
P.S. it has nothing to do with cost as I already have the supplements and fortunately can afford them.

[Ted_Hutchinson]

Originally Posted by sparklymessygirl

The reason I am thinking of stopping is to find out if my current diet provides me with sufficient levels because I eat a lot of eggs.

Your body uses between 3000~5000iu/daily.
an egg contains about 36iu if you are lucky.
I doubt you eat 100eggs a day you would need to achieve your daily intake. Remember you don't get any from sun until March and then you have to be outside midday.

P.S. it has nothing to do with cost as I already have the supplements and fortunately can afford them.

They are cheaper and at a more effective strength from the USA.

[Ted_Hutchinson]

Originally Posted by moneysaving pharmacist

I hope that's a typo Ted, as it's nonsense as it reads at present. You do know what Vmax is don't you?

Enzyme kinetics Vmax
sure I missed a letter I often do. I rely on people using their brains.

I think most people who follow the link will grasp the idea that for active form Calcitriol to function properly there needs to be no shortage of base materials.

[Gareth83]

Ted,

what site and brand are you using for your D3?

NOW Foods 5000IU 120 capsules for $9 look good.....

Not sure on delivery, import tax and exchange rate though

[Ted_Hutchinson]

Originally Posted by Gareth83

Ted,

what site and brand are you using for your D3?

NOW Foods 5000IU 120 capsules for $9 look good.....

Not sure on delivery, import tax and exchange rate though

I've just bought some of those from IHERB $8.80 If you haven't used IHERB before they do $5 discount code (see the referrals board there are several to choose from that code would allow you to buy 3 pot's 360 capsules for $21.40 and still stay under the customs tax £18 threshold and with the delivery charge $6 they work out just over 5p daily.

The delivery charge for iherb is done by weight so don't buy anything in a glass jar. Most are in plastic pots and the basic charge is $4 then $6 then it depends on what you are buying. The most I've paid is $18. But the secret is to try to get as many credits as you can by passing on your reward code to others when you get it.

I have been using these BIOTECH with postage they also work out around 5p/d.

I've recently moved up to ONE of these each week about 25p a week so a bit cheaper and more D3 Roughly 7000iu/d . I'll know soon how that has affected my 25(OH)D fairly soon so I'll know if I need to keep on with the 7000iu or go back to the 5000iu. Because everything under 10,000iu/daily at this latitude is quite safe it's better to be on the safe side.

Those people who want to stay in the UK for their supplement purchases could try The vitamin service if you made the order above £20 then it would be post free and they would work out at 2.6pdrop so using 5 drops every 2 days would produce 5000iu/d and cost 13p 6.5p/d so near enough the same.

thought this was interesting.
vitamin D was significantly associated with muscle power and force.

Currency converter I just put it on my mastercard I'm not sure what they charge but it isn't much.

[globalds]

Hopefully this will further your cause Ted.
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2009/02Februa...dVitaminD.aspx

Multiple sclerosis could be prevented through daily vitamin D supplements” reports The Times, stating that scientists have found the first causal link between the “sunshine vitamin” and a gene that increases the risk of the incurable neurological condition, known as MS. The news comes from a study into how vitamin D interacts with genes that make certain people more likely to develop MS. The authors of this study claim that their work strongly implicates vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of developing MS among susceptible individuals. This study was not attempting to find a cure or treatment for MS.

[Ted_Hutchinson]

Originally Posted by globalds

Hopefully this will further your cause Ted.
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2009/02Februa...dVitaminD.aspx

I doubt it. Trouble is that MS is like diabetes a fundamentally IATROGENIC condition.
Both these conditions have been created by and for the benefit of health professionals so they are going to be the last people to acknowledge they are in any way responsible for the lowering of vitamin D status or the role carbohydrates play in these conditions.
In exactly the same way we did not see bankers explaining how the financial markets were all based on false premises so you are not going to get health professionals admitting that the whole of our knowledge of nutrition is based on a fundamentally corrupt medical science. Far too many of our health professors owe their positions to big pharma and consequently fit their advice to their paymasters wishes.
this Swedish exposee shows how big pharms buys off professors in Sweden, I expect they do the same here.

This explains some of the false premise underlying the health scam.

Make no mistake everyone knows what level of vitamin d status prevents the great mass of most chronic conditions But no one is going to apply that knowledge because of the impact it would have on jobs in the health profession. It only costs 5p per person per day. but the impact on big pharma if breast cancer was reduced by 80% diabetes by 60% or MS by 50%.
The whole system would fall to pieces.
It doesn't bear thinking about so there is no chance it will be implemented.

You tube video on the MS vitamin d story. You will note they do not point out that the amounts of D3 generally in UK supplements is insufficient to achieve the rise in vitamin D status necessary to ensure the active metabolite made from D3 operates unrestricted by lack of substrate. These drops would be adequate though

[sparklymessygirl]

I received my test yesterday - have drawn blood (after a bit of drama when I thought there wouldn't be enough - it then came thick and fast!). Have missed the post office today so will have to wait until Monday to post.

Going off to walk the dogs in the sunshine this afternoon but unfortunately only part of my face will be exposed


Looking forward to seeing all our results

Sparkly

[Ted_Hutchinson]

Originally Posted by sparklymessygirl

Going off to walk the dogs in the sunshine this afternoon but unfortunately only part of my face will be exposed

While there are major benefits for your health to be outside, in bright light, getting some exercise, I'm afraid getting Vitamin D3 from sunlight this time of year isn't one of them. Next month you may be lucky, particularly if you get outside MIDDAY.
The problem is that an exposure level of 18–20 mJ/cm2 is not generally reached during the winter above latitude 40° as the conversion process is heat driven.

[Pam17]

Excuse my ignorance and long-windedness but I don't usually visit the Health & Beauty forum but came here today to see if I could get a remedy for this blasted flu that won't seem to leave me.
However I spotted the Lowcarb thread and decided to read some of it since I did Atkins successfully many years ago but gave up due to boredom. I read Ted Hutchinsons post on the Gary Taubes lecture and Doctor Dahlqvists diet, followed the links and got inspired to try it again. Now following a search for more Ted Hutchinson contributions I find myself reading this thread and I don't really understand what you are all talking about.

So can you give me some idea/links to the benefits of vitamin D and should I consider taking it as a supplement as I commence low carb again or is it a necessity no matter what diet you choose to follow?

Thanks

[Ted_Hutchinson]

Originally Posted by Pam17

So can you give me some idea/links to the benefits of vitamin D and should I consider taking it as a supplement as I commence low carb again or is it a necessity no matter what diet you choose to follow

Dr Sorenson is a good place to start exploring the most recent information on Vitamin D.
I've been chuntering on about the benefits of Vitamin D for about 5 yrs now and have repeatedly had to revise upwards my idea of what is an IDEAL amount of vitamin D necessary.

As this is a moneysaving and not a life saving forum nor a forum that is concerned about preventing chronic disease it's difficult for me to explain here (without breaking the forum rules) why I believe it is moneysaving to take an effective amount of an effective form of D3.

But I can tell you that the cheapest source of Vitamin D3 5000iu capsules can be found either at Iherb using a $5 discount code from the Referrer's board Buy 3 and use the $5 discount to reduce the price from $26.40 to $21.40 below the £18 customs threshold then $6 postage so it works out to 4p daily. The D3 is dissolved in olive oil and many people find that oil based gel capsules are more effective for them.

The next cheapest is probably D-3-5 (5,000IU) 250ct biotech This are a dry powder capsule which I have been taking for years now. I always take them with food, I think this is why I've never had problems with the D3 being absorbed. D3 is fat soluble so it is possible that people taking D3 with water on an empty stomach simply waste it.
with $5 postage these work out at 5.6p each. Biotech also make a 50,000iu that works out even cheaper if you take one every 10 days and that is fine for everyone except for pregnant or nursing mothers who need daily effective strength supplements.

You may also want to consider these 2000iu drops from the UK buying 2 pots or another item to obtain the free postage over £20 brings the cost per 2.5 drops (you'd need to take 2 drops, 4000iu, one day and 3drops, 6000iu, the next day to average 10,000iu/2= 5000iu/daily) costs 6.2p/daily.

You can find the answer to why I point you in the direction of 5000iu/d supplements from these sources
This shows what current UK adult status is

This shows the 25(OH)D levels associated with least chronic illness

IMO those seeking the best moneysaving use of D3 need to obtain the greatest protection from the greatest range of chronic illness. Taking an insufficient amount of D3 to obtain the greatest possible protection seems daft to me. Adverse events from Vitamin D toxicity have only been reported above 250nmol/l. 100ng Each 1000iu/daily of D3 raises status 10ng or 25nmol/l. Therefore 5000iu will raise 125nmol/l or 50ng. Together with the vit d from the enviroment/diet this is not only a safe amount but the amount Dr Davis of Heartscanblog finds is necessary in Wisconsin (latitude 43) We live further North (+less sun per day, fewer days UVB per year & no vit d fortified milk so we need at least this probably more)

Another way of working out an effective amount is to use 1000iu/daily for each 25lbs weight.

But because there is an individual variation in the bodies ability to use D3 a 25(OH)D test after 90 days or so it worth doing to check your status is above the minimum level that enables the active metabolite to function without being limited by lack of the basic materials it is made from.

Remember also D3 is an INERT substance. Before it becomes active 2 hydroxylations are required. The first converts it into the circulating form 25(OH)D calcidiol, (Half life 3 weeks) this is the form that represents your current vitamin D status and that requires a further hydroxylation to Calcitriol 1.25 the active metabolite (Half life 4-6 hours). This further hydroxylation only happens if your Vitamin D receptors require it.

As for the last 5 yrs I've been reading as much of the most recent research as possible I do tend to go on a bit about it so in order to spare other readers here perhaps you'd like to PM me if you have any other specific questions. Remember also this is NOT medical advice, simply moneysaving INFORMATION enabling you to make a moneysaving purchase that provides an effective form at an effective strength.

I should also have pointed out that the purpose of regular 25(OH)D testing this thread is about, is to ensure you stay over the level associated with least chronic illness. It is more than likely that 5000iu/daily will not be sufficient to achieve this for many particularly male readers, so monitoring the situation twice a year for a few years will enable you to work out exactly what your body requires summer/winter or Spring/Autumn to stay around the level associated with peak physical muscular performance.

For those readers coming to this thread from the recent headlines about the Vitamin D insufficiency/MS link this is the paper you need to read. and Type 1 diabetics need to understand the same probably applies to them.

[jw8725]

Can you tell us a little about what the kit comprises of? I've just gone ahead and ordered my test.

Many thanks for the heads up!

[sparklymessygirl]

Hello all,

Well I have just got my results back and I only have a level of 14 ng/ml as against a desirable level of between 40-60 ng/ml. I've been on supplements since the day I took the test and am hoping for an increase in my levels in the next testing session.
Has anyone else had any results and would care to share?

JW - the test has a pricker thing! and a card you deposit your blood on (plus sterile wipe, gauze and a plaster (which I think is a really nice touch). Don't panic if blood doesn't come out instantly - I thought I was only going to get a drop but a few seconds later more came along!

Sparkly