PMS Vitamin D and Calcium

Ted_Hutchinson

Looking for and answer to another question I came across this which may be useful information, but not medical advice for other readers.
Dietary Calcium and Vitamin D May Help Prevent PMS

The easiest way to correct vitamin D deficiency is to fill up the empty vitamin D tank by taking an oral dose of 50,000 IU of vitamin D once per week for 8 weeks. To maintain vitamin D sufficiency, you should take either 50,000 IU of vitamin D once or twice per month thereafter. Or if you find it easier take 4000iu (10tablets) daily until the sun is strong enough to subathe outside for a sufficient time. See Free Vitamin D calculator

Healthy Direct via quidco sell Vitamin D at £4.95 for 360x400iu tablets As you will need 125 to get 50000iu you will need to buy more than one box. So take advantage of the code ep781 to reduce the price a bit more.

Using food sources for the calcium see Havard calcium food sources table but as you would need 1500mg this will take more than a yoghurt +glass of milk + piece of cheese + sesame seeds so you may find it easier to simply take one of Zipvits 1500mg coral Calcium tablets

The levels of vitamin D supplementation discussed in the article are way too low to have any effect. We know that to sustain the high levels of vitamin d you have in the summer you need to take 4000iu daily. Taking 400iu is like thinking that paying your MMP on your credit card will keep you out of debt. If you are going to improve you debt situation you have to more than match your outgoings same for vitamin D.
Don't think about using calcium and vitamin d tablets either they use the more toxic and least efficient form of Vitamin d2 ergocalciferol as is the vitamin d in multivit/mineral formulations.

samcat_2

This is really good news for PMS sufferers.

16 PMS sufferers were tested. 8 had calcium rich diet with oily fish. 8 had a placebo. The results were astonishing.:rotfl:
There is a down to earth fascinating short film about it here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/humanbody/truthaboutfood/flashapp/index.shtml?video=4

samcat_2

This is really good news for PMS sufferers.

16 PMS sufferers were tested. 8 had calcium rich diet with oily fish. 8 had a placebo. The results were astonishing.:rotfl:
There is a down to earth fascinating short film about it here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/humanbody/truthaboutfood/flashapp/index.shtml?video=4

Ted_Hutchinson

Good video but

Why Oh Why Oh Why don't they know that Vitamin d comes in the main (98%) from sunlight.

Yes I'm all for EVERYONE eating lots of oily fish but that won't & can't be regarded as the main source of Vitamin D.

The film was being shot in the Summer (picnic scene) so why weren't they told to get outside into the sunshine at midday for 20minutes, at least 3 times a week?

Why weren't they made aware of the body's daily need for Vitamin D3 is around 3000-5000iu a day A portion of Salmon will provide 411iu but this isn't going to raise status much as it is only a tenth of your daily need. It will of course help but particularly during the Winter it's simply common sense to use an amount that will, averaged over the week, adequately meet your daily needs

Anyone concered about the safety of such information needs to study
Risk assessment for vitamin D -- Hathcock et al. 85 (1): 6 ...
Experts call for vitamin D level hike

Calcium and vitamin D intake and risk of incident premenstrual syndrome.

specsappeal

personally i take vitamin B12 and evening primrose oil and this really helps with my pms!!!

Ted_Hutchinson

specsappeal wrote:

personally i take vitamin B12 and evening primrose oil and this really helps with my pms!!!

GLA supplements in PMSEvening primrose, black currant, and borage oil contain GLA, with typical levels being 9%, 12%, and 22%, respectively. Although these essential fattyacid sources are quite popular, the research on GLA supplements is controversial for the treatment of PMS.
Specifically, the double-blind studies with GLA supplements like evening primrose oil in PMS are largely negative in that they showed no greater benefit over a placebo. A meta-analysis of the clinical trials of evening primrose oil for the treatment of PMS concluded that evening primrose is of little value in the management of PMS.
The three most well-controlled studies failed to show any beneficial effects for evening primrose.A better approach to the essential fatty acid and prostaglandin abnormalities of PMS may be to provide the necessary nutrients required for proper essential fatty acid metabolism along with providing adequate levels of the essential fatty acids and GLA. In other words, it may be more appropriate to provide a broader range of support than simply trying to increase GLA levels.

I've had a quick search and can't find any research to support B12 use for PMS. I'm glad you find it effective. I suspect that others may not. As the video and research do show Calcium/vitamin d/omega 3 actually work these seem to me likely to be more moneysaving.

calcium: foodsources
Bear in mind also that those increasing their vitamin d status at this time of year may also be improving their Natural antibiotic status and lowering their Cancer risk

springchicken

specsappeal wrote:

personally i take vitamin B12 and evening primrose oil and this really helps with my pms!!!

Specsappeal I agree.
I suffered from really bad PMS for years and found that the only supplement which has helped is evening primrose oil.
You must take it every day (not just befoere your period ) to feel the benefit.

Ted_Hutchinson

springchicken wrote:

Specsappeal I agree.
I suffered from really bad PMS for years and found that the only supplement which has helped is evening primrose oil.
You must take it every day (not just befoere your period ) to feel the benefit.

Evening primrose oil and treatment of premenstrual syndrome.
The therapeutic effectiveness of evening primrose oil (Efamol, Vita-Glow) in the relief of 10 symptoms associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) as well as menstrual symptoms was studied in 38 women. The prospective trial was randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled and was crossed-over after three cycles. Although the results showed an improvement in symptoms of PMS during the trial, no significant differences in the scoring between the active and placebo groups were found over six cycles. No "carry-over" effect of active medication was observed; the beneficial effect on all symptoms (psychological, fluid retention, breast) was rapid, the scores decreasing in the first cycle but increasing slightly at the change-over period after the third cycle, irrespective of whether the active or placebo medication was next given. These findings indicate that the improvement experienced by these women with moderate PMS was solely a placebo effect.
The placebo effect is a real effective benefit so if this works for you fine, but it will only work if you "Think" it works for you.

I know the Can a change in diet transform a woman's mood? didn't use a placebo but it was devised from a study where the dietary intake of Calcium was compared to PMS symptom level and the higher the calcium in diet the lower the PMS. Raising D3 status and omega 3 status have so many other health benefits that help with PMS is trivial by comparision.

springchicken

Ted ,if is a Placebo effect ,then why didnt the other supplements for PMS I have tried over the years work for me !!
I know what works for me and what doesnt , and would heartily recommed EPO for PMS sufferers.

Ted_Hutchinson

springchicken wrote:

Ted ,if is a Placebo effect ,then why didnt the other supplements for PMS I have tried over the years work for me !!
I know what works for me and what doesn't , and would heartily recommend EPO for PMS sufferers.

Evening primrose oil for premenstrual syndrome There is no compelling evidence of any additional beneficial effect of EPO over that reported with placebo in any of the more methodologically rigorous studies. Two studies which were described as double blind were only blind for the first treatment phase. All of the studies were small and some were not controlled. The open studies are likely to be biased because of the lack of blinding. Their positive results are also likely to be invalid because of high placebo response rates in EPO trials.

This is a Moneysaving Forum and the best information anyone can provide must represent the BEST value for money. Because there is a "Placebo" element to PMS there will be effective solutions to the problem that are as good as placebos. EPO is one of these. Calcium/omega3/vitamin d3 is BETTER than placebo and therefore represents BETTER value for money, not just because it is MORE likely (than plaecbo) to work but also because even if it doesn't do any better than placebo for PMS, it also provides other benefits to health, the omega 3 for brain/heart, the calcium for osteoporosis, the vit d for cancer risk reduction/obestiy, diabetes, etc I'm not against you thinking that EPO helps your PMS, but given the research showing it is no better than placebo, it is simply better value for money for people to use the calcium/vitd/omega3 option as a first choice solution as not only is this better than placebo but it will have extra benefits to health generally speaking which the EPO doesn't.

nightsong

Ted, I see you are peddling your pseudo-science again. I shall be reporting this post.

There is considerable evidence now that supplementing calcium is dangerous for women eating a standard Western diet. We already eat far too much calcium in relation to our magnesium intake, which is generally too low. Increasing dietry calcium in these circumstances can actually cause loss of calicum in the bones, leading to osteoporosis, the very condition that high calcium intake is supposed to prevent. The Japanese traditionally have low levels of dietry calcium since they do not eat much dairy produce, yet they have strong bones.

I don't know what your motivation is in posting this stuff, Ted, but I strongly object to your using the forums in this way. As I say I shall be reporting your post, and not for the first time.