Has anyone seen postive results increasing Vitamin D levels from "cod liver oil"?

M

marilynfl

Moderator
Back in 2009/2010 I was working insane OT at work---leaving at 4:00 AM and getting home at 9:00 PM 7 days a week. I NEVER saw daylight.

At my yearly exam I asked my PCP to test Vit D level. She said no one living in Florida has a vitamin D deficiency.

(You know how this horror story ends, right.)

Normal range is => 30 and mine came in at 20. Doc was actually shocked and questioned how I knew it was out-of-range. I didn't, but since I hadn't seen daylight in a year and knew I wasn't a vampire, I suspected something might be askew.

She put me on 2000 IU unit supplements which I promptly ignored (I should mention that I DESPISE taking any form of pill) and my next test came in at 14. After getting yelled at and threatened with a 40,000 IU prescriptive dose, I paid a bit more attention to taking the supplements and my numbers increased to 30.

Now that I'm not working OT anymore, I figured Mr. Sunshine would do it for me and dropped the pills again. Nada. I've slipped back to 28, below normal, even with sunshine every weekend.

Doc wants my level at 40 since I have osteopenia. I would try a non-fishy cod liver oil, which is easier than pills IF I knew it would actually boost my numbers.

By the way, I also stopped my cholesterol medication 6 months ago (like I said, I hate taking pills) and fought that problem with diet and exercise. My total cholesterol came in at 183 last week, down from 240 three years ago and 198 while on simstatin pills. That's why I'd like to attack this Vit D challenge from a nutritional aspect (use the oil as a dressing), rather than a supplement.

 
I don't know about cod-liver oil, but had excellent results with a very tiny 1000 iu pill. I also

lived in Florida and was deficient. I've read that the use of sun screen has had an effect on vitamin D levels. I take 1000 because I drink about 1.5 cups milk in my morning coffee and also eat yogurt, cheese, etc plus taking calcium and multi-vit supplements that have vitamin D. Vit D supplements seem to have many benefits and no side effects, I just hope future research doesn't prove this to be untrue.

 
The most efficient way to raise vitamin D levels is with exposure to the sun. I have seen...

...different sources that say 20 minutes per day in a bathing suit is more than sufficient.

Since most of us don't replace roofs for a living and do it bare-chested, a dosage of 5,000 IU per day is considered therapeutic, with no side affects.

Take the pills.

Michael

 
Vit D is no pretty much considered a horomone...I have a 'vert and don't get enough

I'm on rx dose right now and should take IMHO no less that 5K dose per day. Of the Vit D3. I was taking 1K in a multi and it didn't change my levels at all.

Gah, more power to you if you can take cod liver oil, but it's high in saturated fat and cholesterol.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/628/2

 
Thanks all. Especially Maria as I didn't pick up on the cholesterol connection. That would be a

shame if I finally got my cholesterol under control and then screwed it up trying to get my Vitamin D under control.

 
mine was so low that..

my doctor had me taking a prescription dose at 50,000 IU once per week. So I've been taking it for about 7 years now. But it was later recommended to me to take "D3" It is absorbed/used better than the standard stuff you get from vitamin store or even the prescription I was getting. I confirmed this with another doctor. I get the "Country Life" brand (which was also recommended) from Vitacost.com.

 
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