Vitamin D Deficiency

.j.e.j

GwylimT wrote: »

My calcium absorption doesn't change at all, I'm also not deficient due to any health issue, I'm deficient because of where I live. It also isn't fashionable advice, unless solar influences have changed dramatically.

It's only relatively recently that it's become trendy to want to take vitamin D. Has England/the sun changed significantly recently?

If you think your calcium absorption is not affected by your intake of vitamin D you are mistaken. That is exactly what vitamin D does - it aids absorption of calcium. That's why telling healthy people to take extra vitamin D is not only wrong but potentially damaging.

GwylimT

.j.e.j wrote: »

If there was an actual need (as in, a genuine danger of deficiency of vitamin D) for all healthy people to take Vit D supplements, they would be adding it to people's foods or prescribing it free of charge

Vitamin B gets added to ALL flour here in the UK, for example.

In short: 'official' advice seems to be lacking at best, and is basically incorrect.

Many foods in the UK have vit D added, such as cereal, yoghurts and margarine.

It doesn't get added to all flour actually.

GwylimT

.j.e.j wrote: »

It's only relatively recently that it's become trendy to want to take vitamin D. Has England/the sun changed significantly recently?

If you think your calcium absorption is not affected by your intake of vitamin D you are mistaken. That is exactly what vitamin D does - it aids absorption of calcium. That's why telling healthy people to take extra vitamin D is not only wrong but potentially damaging.

My eight weekly health tests are obviously lying about my calcium then! No the sun hasn't, which is why it still isn't possible to get sufficient vit D.

.j.e.j

GwylimT wrote: »

My eight weekly health tests are obviously lying about my calcium then! No the sun hasn't, which is why it still isn't possible to get sufficient vit D.

OK I'll try again.

You have been tested and are diagnosed deficient in vitamin D

Therefore it is right that you should take supplements.

That is very different from saying that everybody should take vitamin D supplements, regardless of whether they've been tested/or actually deficient.

Clearer now?

Feral_Moon

.j.e.j wrote: »

LOL yes, maybe



That's like advocating that everyone takes iron tablets in case they're deficient and just don't recognise it/haven't had the test done. Taking supplements is generally not a good idea unless there's a medical need for them. (iron during pregnancy, for example, if the woman tests as deficient)

Taking ANY supplements should not be necessary in a normal healthy person with a balanced diet.

I never advocated taking supplements just for the sake of it. In fact it's something I am totally against and is often a waste of money!

.j.e.j

GwylimT wrote: »

Many foods in the UK have vit D added, such as cereal, yoghurts and margarine.

That's what I said earlier.....

It doesn't get added to all flour actually.

Again, incorrect. Flour has to be fortified with vitamin B, according to UK law.

http://www.sustainweb.org/realbread/flour_fortification/#current_situation

[Deleted User]

This back and forth is not what I intended when I started this thread. I know there are differing opinions on the taking of supplements.
Personally I take selenium because it is deficient in the soil now and it maintains my hair, nails and skin nicely. I stopped taking it for a few months as a test and i shed a significant amount of hair and my nails started flaking.
I take Evening Primrose Oil for hormonal reasons. Again, i stopped taking it for a few months as a test and I was a vile person to be around during my period and my period pain was worse.
I take a B-complex because I have been folate deficient in the past more than once and I am not willing to risk ending up feeling that awful again.
I will probably end up continuing with a vit D supplement once my prescription finishes. I don't eat a lot of dairy which my consultant informs me is the best food source. I am indoors at work between 11 and 3 Mon-Fri and if I go out in the sun at the weekend I wear sunscreen which limits the body's ability to produce vit D through sun exposure.

I know it has been in the news recently that everybody would benefit from vit D. While I understand it may not be completely necessary for some people, if they are recommending it anyway, it surely wouldn't be dangerous.

I have a genuine deficiency. I felt terrible before being diagnosed. It would not surprise me if a lot of people who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia or other chronic conditions actually just needed a vit D test. If you haven't had a severe vit D deficiency, I think you would be surprised at how absolutely awful it makes you feel - physically and mentally.

For those who believe you can get all your RDA of every vitamin and mineral from your diet, good for you. I however, eat a fairly healthy and varied diet - apart from low levels of dairy - and over the past few years I have still had folate deficiency anaemia (more than once), iron deficiency anaemia (more than once) and vit D deficiency to the point where it was undetectable in my blood. Clearly for some people, diet and lifestyle isn't enough. My consultant agrees with this. He didn't advise any lifestyle changes for me (because I can't increase my dairy because of stomach problems) so he must think I'm doing ok. I'm not just some fat, lazy person looking for a quick fix.

I would like for this thread to just be a friendly place where people can chat about their experiences of either actually having a deficiency or thinking that they might have. So maybe just stop picking at each other. Live and let live etc. This thread has been helpful to me and it seems like it has been to others too so it would be a shame if this nitpicking meant I would find it easier to delete it. Some people on here are probably having a rough time and even if they aren't, just be nice to each other.

Mojisola

Deleted_User wrote: »

I don't eat a lot of dairy which my consultant informs me is the best food source.

That's worrying!

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vitamins-minerals/Pages/Vitamin-D.aspx
In the UK, cows' milk is generally not a good source of vitamin D because it isn't fortified, as it is in some other countries.

[Deleted User]

Mojisola wrote: »

That's worrying!

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/vitamins-minerals/Pages/Vitamin-D.aspx
In the UK, cows' milk is generally not a good source of vitamin D because it isn't fortified, as it is in some other countries.

1. Sorry, I should have added it is the best source of vit D I could increase my intake of. I already eat a lot of fish for example.
2. Other dairy products like yoghurt and some cheeses like ricotta contain more vit D than milk alone. Also, I include eggs in dairy. I know that's not technically correct but I know I'm not the only one who does it.

I know my consultant has worked in a few other countries in the past as well, so there may have been a slight mixup as less dairy is fortified over here than other places.
In any case, I don't have enough vit D. I can't get much more through changing my diet - dairy or otherwise.

.j.e.j

Deleted_User wrote: »

I know it has been in the news recently that everybody would benefit from vit D. While I understand it may not be completely necessary for some people, if they are recommending it anyway, it surely wouldn't be dangerous.

It may indeed be dangerous, that's what I have been trying (without much success) to get through to people.

I have a genuine deficiency.

Not relevant to you then...

I'm not just some fat, lazy person looking for a quick fix.

Did anyone say you were?

I would like for this thread to just be a friendly place where people can chat about their experiences of either actually having a deficiency or thinking that they might have. So maybe just stop picking at each other. Live and let live etc. This thread has been helpful to me and it seems like it has been to others too so it would be a shame if this nitpicking meant I would find it easier to delete it. Some people on here are probably having a rough time and even if they aren't, just be nice to each other.

No-one was 'not being nice'. You start a thread, things get discussed. If you think any post broke the forum rules, you can report them, but I can't see any which have contravened the site T&Cs.