How much vitamin D needed to raise levels?

luv_gardening

Sunny, let us know how your D levels are after you get the results.  If your Med Onc is keen on evidence based medicine, you could print out the study I linked to in my OP.  It's very clear on the strong need to test and supplement with vit D.  Maybe he didn't worry about you as, in your avatar at least, you look remarkably young and healthy!  Unfortunately all the recent sunscreen advice means we aren't getting so much D from the sun as they might think.

Gabbycal, I don't know of any other vitamin that we need to test for.  With calcium it's how much is getting into our bones that counts and that requires a DEXA scan. I hope you ladies all had a DEXA scan at the start of treatment, but doubt that is happening as doctors are not all aware of the extreme bone loss that we face from BC, chemo and hormonal therapies. I'll repeat from the study in my opening post:

The annual loss of bone mineral density (BMD) in breast cancer patients may be up to seven times greater than the annual loss of BMD by postmenopausal women without cancer.  

crazy4carrots

In answer to the OP, I was able to actually double my levels up to normal by taking 5,000 IU of VitD3 in the space of 3 months.   I've since cut back to about 2,000 IU, especially now that it's summer and I'm getting it naturally (I hope!!!).

crazy4carrots

Joy -- I'm always a bit skeptical when I see statements such as "may be up to seven times greater".  This "may" speak means that scientists do not yet have the evidence, but feel a warning is appropriate.  I have such a "back and forth" over taking bisphosphonates.  Osteopenia isn't a disease, and yet it's being treated as if it were.  I've just heard too darn many stories of femur fractures following prolonged usage (my SIL being one).  My onc and GP don't know it yet, but I stopped taking Fosavance about 3 months ago.  I have another dexa scheduled in September so I'm anxious to see if the "numbers" are down much (dx'd with "slight osteopenia 3 years ago, and numbers didn't change while on bisphosphonates).  I take calcium/magnesium/VitD3, I drink milk, eat yogurt and veggies with calcium, and I do a lot of weight-bearing exercise.  Hoping that's enough! 

DesignerMom

I asked my MO if we should test my D3.  She nonchalantly agreed saying "85% of patients are low".  I think even she was surprised that my level was a pathetic 14.  That was September 2010.  I took 50,000 iu once X 6 weeks vitamin D2 (which supposedly converts to D3).  Then I continued with 2,000 iu  D3 daily.  I was retested in May 2011 and my D3 level had crept up to 24.  I am just finishing another course of 50,000 iu once X 6 weeks.  I am spending a blissful summer on an island gardening and playing outdoors.  I am hoping this will be the push my levels need.  Like many of you have found, I think doctors are ignorant when it comes to nutrition and supplements.  Even my own MO said her own levels were probably low, but she hasn't tested.  To give them credit, I think they have too much of their own medical research required and can't take on the nutrition too.  However!!  Vitamin deficiency (think scurvy, rickets etc...) IS a medical condition, so I don't understand their not paying attention.  For anyone who hasn't been there, the vitamindcouncil.org site has very good, clear information.  Thanks for starting this thread Joy!

mdg

Mine was pretty low so my med onc put me in the 50,000 IU weekly.  I did that and go it up to 29 which is still at the low end.  Then she had me go back to taking 2000 IU's daily when the 50,000 IU Rx was finished (4 weeks).  I had it checked this week at my holistic MD's office and he called today and told me it was only 25.  I finished chemo on 5/4.  He told me to stop taking the pill form of Vit D and to pick up the liquid form of it with 2,000IUs per drop.  I am to take 8,000IU's per day of this once I pick it up from his office.  I hope this helps...I wonder how long it will take to make a difference. 

Sherryc

My first MO never checked me.  When I switch MO's that was one of the first test he did and I was a 42 not bad.  He put me on 2000iu's D3 per day.  In one month it raised to 47.  I go at the end of this month for my 3 month check up so will be interesting to see how it has changed.

SunnyCoconut

Joy - I will definitely post my results. Thanks for saying I looked young and healthy.  I felt young and healthy in that pic.  I am 44 now.  That pic was taken when I first found out about my cancer but did not have the pathology back at that point.  (1.5 years ago)  I now look about 15 years older and feel 25 years older!!

37antiques

Joy, thank you for the link, I found it very interesting.  Right now my Vit D is sitting at a ridiculously low 8.9 even after weeks of continual supplements. So, since it was never tested prior to treatment, and now it is very low, can this be an indication of mets?  I'm not really good at interpreting the figures in studies, but the link (14-17) did seem to indicate a lower level had a higher recurrence rate, but is this just at the onset, or is it also true after treatment as well?

luv_gardening

Sue, the difference in levels was small and an average so I'm not sure how relevant it is.  It certainly wouldn't be an indicator of stage in an individual.  I've noticed a huge disparity in how people respond to supps and how much is needed to raise levels, so you can only keep trying. There are many factors affecting how much and how quickly it's taken up and I'm just starting to learn.  There's so much to learn in so many areas it gets overwhelming.

ruthbru

Here is a copy of a post I wrote in March. You may find some of the information helpful:

I went to a very interesting speaker the other day. She is a doctor, nutrition specialist, and an eleven year breast cancer survivor. Here are some of her tips for staying healthy:

1. We all know we should eat more fruits & veggies, whole grains, less red meat, processed food etc. so I am not going to go into any of that.

2. EVERYONE should be taking a multi-vitamin. Make sure it says ‘Complete' on the label. Make sure it contains iodine, Vitamin K, selenium and folic acid along with all the other good stuff. Interesting facts about why multi-vitamins are important:

* older women with the lowest levels of vitamin B-12 were at the greatest risk for breast cancer

* taking acid-blocking medications make you less able to absorb B-12

* she recommends 400 mcg of folic acid a day. It works with the B-12 (studies have found that folates may help to make chemo more effective and decrease side effects)

* B 6 is important in lowering the risk of breast and colon cancer

* she recommends 90 mg of vitamin C

* 30 iu of E

3. Omega 3.....either eat oily fish twice a week or use fish-oil supplements (make sure it says EPA and DHA approved) 1000 mg a day. It's associated with decreased risk of cancer, heart disease, inflammatory disease, depression and more.

4. Vitamin D....a big deal.....she recommends getting it tested (should be between 40-50 ng/dL). She recommends 2000 iu a day to maintain a good level. Many, many conditions are associated with low vitamin D; heart attack, cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, muscle weakness, asthma, diabetics, multiple sclerosis etc. etc. etc. There are over 200 different body tissues that have been identified so far that have receptors for the vitamin D hormone and they need it to work properly.

* adequate Vitamin D levels has been shown to reduce the side effects of taxol based chemotherapy

* Adequate Vitamin D has shown to reduce the side effects of aromatase inhibitors

* start with a multi-vitamin, drink milk, eat yogurt (check and make sure it has vitamin D added), and most people will also need a supplement to keep that high of levels

5. Vitamin K, should get 100 mcg a day. Check your multi-vitamin, not all of them have it added.  Inadequacy leads to an increased risk of various cancers, heart disease, osteoporosis and kidney problems.

ICanDoThis

Hey Sue.

Another NY-born Sue with ridiculous vitamin D here. I started out at 7, and it took weekly doses of 50,000 ius to get me into the teens. Even now,  I struggle to keep my levels in the 30s - my endocrinologist has actually prescribed a tanning booth, since the only time my levels shot up was after a week snorkeling and trekking all over Hawaii. Now there is an excuse - my doctor ordered me to go to Maui.

They honestly don't know if there is a causal relationship between cancer recurrence and low D - there is a relationship, but does low D cause cancer or cancer cause Low D, or are they both triggered by something else. If you know what I mean.

But D is important for so many other parts of your body, keep taking those meds - my levels start to fall as soon as I get below 2000 ius per day, and they don't rise if I don't supplement beyond those minimums.

Hope this helps

elimar86861

ICanDoThis, Your second paragraph sound so familiar. Hahaha.  Check page one.  Can't clarify that enough tho'.

ICanDoThis

Elimar - we must be reading the same sources!

Are you also on the osteoporosis website?

That's where I find most of my stuff.

elimar86861

ICan...I had a few posts on "bones, bones, bones," where I wrote about "so-called osteopenia" but not too concerned about osteo issues right now.  Just watching myself via DEXA to see if Tamox. does anything naughty to my bones.

I'm just a big cheerleader for Vit. D (and cal/mag too) because I really do feel better overall having been taking tham faithfully for the past year. 

agada

I have a new GP.  He tested my vit D level and found it to be 9!  I am on calcium 1200 mg per day and 50,000 IU of vit D per week.  He followed the above guidlines when he found I had osteopenia.  Man, I love this new doctor!  He actually researches problems routinely.  Thanks for the information.

Patriotic

JoyLiesWithin, thank you for beginning this thread. It is fascinating.

otter

agada, is that Vitamin D3, or Vitamin D2, you are getting?  Fifty-thousand units is a huge amount, so I'm thinking it must be D2.  The bioavailability of D2 and D3 is very different (D3 being more readily utilized by the human body).

I've noticed that a lot of women are put on large doses of Vitamin D2 when their blood levels are low.  Can anyone explain why docs would use megadoses of D2 instead of a lesser amount of D3? Is there some reason why the D2 would be more effective under certain circumstances?  Is D2 cheaper?

otter

DesignerMom

otter-  I asked the exact question to my Onc and Pharmacist, having been given two courses of prescription strength D2.  I think it stores in the bodyfat longer?  I was told that D2 converts to D3.  However, on the vitamindcouncil.org website, it says not to take D2, that it is not effective in raising D3 levels.  I think they said it was made from radiated fungus?? However, I know some women have found it the only way to get their levels up, so I did take it. I need to do more research.  Also Life Extension has done a lot of research on D3 and I believe is now recommending 5,000-10,000 iu daily?.I am concentrating on getting into the sunshine a LOT this summer.  As for the cost, D3 is pretty cheap.  Maybe doctors just like prescribing a pharmaceutical because it is a known dosage, brand etc??  That way they can measure and gauge effectiveness?

LtotheK

I'm afraid I'm with coraleliz.  Megadosing on any type of vitamin has always panned out in the long run as dangerous.  I hope the Vitamin D will be to the contrary.  I'm taking 5,000 IU to get mine up, I was 17 at diagnosis.  There does seem to be a lot of new study showing that taking over the RDA of anything throws other stuff off balance, and has even been shown to have detrimental effect (latest studies on calcium, for instance).

I get so confused that probably like many of you, I get on and off the vitamin train!

LtotheK

Otter, I've wondered that myself.  I think it's what has been compounded, maybe d3 in those doses is toxic?

I was on D2, and I know it gets a bum rap, but my numbers shot right up on the 50,000 IU my doctor prescribed.  I am building up to 50 or so with the d3 I currently supplement with (my doctor didn't recommend that, I did it myself).

crazy4carrots

My GP never even considered giving me the 50,000 VitD2.  He suggested I increase the dosage gradually up to 5,000 IU of D3.  Being the impatient sort (!) I started 5,000 immediately and doubled my level in 3 months.  Now I put 2,000 worth of drops in my smoothie, and I get another 1,200 in my calcium/mag combo (that's 600 twice a day).  And now that summer has really arrived here, I get another natural dose -- instead of sunbathing for 20 minutes, I call it "vitamin D'ing"!

There have been a few studies done on the safety of high doses.  I think the first one was in Toronto at St. Michael's Hospital which has a large MS Clinic (maybe 3 or 4 years ago).  Over the space of a year, a trial was conducted on MS patients who gradually increased their dosage to 50,000 IU and who showed no ill effects.  However, I do not recall if it was D2 or D3.  Maybe some of you with greater medical research access can look up the study.    I think the doc's name is O'Connor. 

JenXX

I'm interested in this topic.  My chemo ended a year and a half ago and my primary just got around to testing my Vitamin D level and found it VERY low - I'm having to do a once a week megadose and take the usual daily supplement, which I wasn't doing before.  I remember reading in one of my cancer diet books about a connection between lack of Vit D and breast cancer, but it may have been on the "holistic" side. 

 Two weird things I have noticed since starting the Vitamin D last month are a dramatic increase in bruising (seriously, I look like my boyfriend regularly beats me), and bone pain which I never had before.  Anyone else have a problem with bruising?

elimar86861

lindasa, I am also going for 20-30 min. in sunlight (a bit longer 'cause I go out in the morning instead of mid-day.) 

JenXX,  no to the bruising.  I have not heard of people experiencing bone pain from D either, but have heard that some experience less pain.  Vit. D is supposed to have some pain diminishing properties.  For me, I have aches in hand and feet bones (more like fibromyalgia, not arthritis) and I didn't notice any change really.

Anonymous

From other threads on Vit D here many were on the megadoses, 50,000 of D2 for 2 and 3 series with little change.  Seems many only had better results when they went on Vit D3 supplements, but that's only my somewhat addled memory.  My MO and PCP both said I was normal at 30 but I've been taking 4000-5000 IU's of Vit D3 daily and will retest next visit in September. 

I will say again that I have been able to stop pain meds and glucosamine/chondroitin for hip and joint pain since taking the Vit D3.  I am absolutely pain free and I know it's the D3 because when I ran out and before I got a new supply the hip and knee started up again.  I know everyone is different so hopefully most, if not all, of you who have joint issues will find relief.

Lena

This thread caught my attention because I just had my Vitamin D level checked in my last blood draw (last Wednesday). The nurse called me yesterday afternoon to tell me it's "normal" -- although since she didn't give the actual concentration, I'll send a message to the doctor who ordered the test for me to ask for it. Anyhoo....

Before I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I had an on-again-off-again relationship with vitamins and other supplements. Yeah, my mother made us (me and my sister) take a multivitamin every day when we were kids, but after I got old enough to move out, it depended. Sometimes I would take them faithfully for anywhere for 6 months to 2 years solid, and since I didn't feel particularly energetic or bright eyed and bushy tailed, I'd start thinking they were a waste of time and money (which I've been short on for most of my adult life anyway), so I'd go off them. For years. I didn't notice any declines in my health or how I felt while not taking them as compared to when I did take them and was, to this day, never able to remember a time that taking vitamins and supplements made me feel better, or not taking them made me feel like a drag.  But sometimes I'd go on them again for awhile (6 months to a year or two) because a conversation with someone about diet and nutrition would touch on vitaimins, and sometimes make me think "that sounds good" followed by "well, I don't know if it'll HELP me, but I do know it wouldn't HURT me either." And I'd take them again. And then again, after those 6 months to a year or two, noticing no difference except negatively in my wallet, off I'd go again, and a few years later, back on...back off...all this from the time I was 18 or 19 until I was 47.

While my diet of choice doesn't totally measure up to what the Health Nazis preach, I enjoy red meat and will NOT give it up totally unless or until it gets so expensive I can't afford to buy it anymore; I can sometimes get a little heavy-handed with margarine while cooking, and anyone who gets between me and my mayonnaise when I'm making tuna salad or a sandwich is asking for trouble; -- oh, and if you really wanna die young you can do it simply by trying to wrest away my once or twice a year cheesecake. And I hate the exotic "health foods" and supposedly "healthier" cooking styles; I hate tofu and all that soy shit; to me grilled chicken is yucky-awful dry: I love and eat a lot of chicken, but will NOT eat it grilled-- and I like my chicken WITH THE SKIN, PLEASE! And I'm also the one who is happy to relieve my Pack Rat's family of the DARK MEAT turkey leftovers from a holiday meal. The only time I use skinless-boneless chicken is when I make chicken parmiagiana (about once a month) and in fact don't own or want to own a grill of any kind. I don't go anywhere near all that zen and vegan stuff either. My sense of adventure resides in bed with my Pack Rat, not on my plate! And even if I only have a small sweets/junk food tooth, on those infrequent occasions when I'm out at a restaurant whose pumpkin spice cake or chocolate pudding  or lemon meringue pie dessert is wonderful, or at someone's house where there's chips along with the veggies and dip and shrimp snacks, and pumpkin and apple pie for dessert, I WILL have SOME of ALL of that and no power in the 'verse will stop me! So yes, I DO occasionally eat SOME "unhealthy" food -- and I don't CARE. BUUUUT....Sweets and junk food snacks are things I only feel like having ONCE IN AWHILE.  What do I eat on a regular basis?

I'm a total salad fiend! I eat a fresh tossed green salad: lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, celery, tomato and sometimes a few olives or slices of red or green bell pepper almost every single day -- and I only put some red wine vinegar on it: I don't care for those creamy or "fancy" salad dressings. I also love (so I eat) some amount of (grapes? strawberries?) or a couple of fresh fruits (an orange? apple? banana? pear? plum? quarter or half a canteloupe? -- something) almost every single day. The same goes with other veggies I don't normally use in salad. I love asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, peas, corn, regular potatoes, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, onions and so on: I love that stuff and eat it regularly -- chicken-broccoli-rice; fish-rice-asparagus; steak-mashed potato or brussels sprouts; chicken-sweet potato-salad; olive oil sauteed bell peppers (one of each color)-onions-potato-sweet Italian sausage; steak with rice pilaf; chicken-beans-rice with or without either broccoli or asparagus or a tossed salad...and so on are some of my favorite dinners (and sometimes next day leftover lunches). My all time favorite lunch; tuna salad [chopped onions and celery in it] sandwich with raw carrots and/or a piece of fruit, but I'll also sometimes eat soup and salad, or fish and tossed salad or fruit and a slice of bread...Since I don't even LIKE white bread, I get rye, whole wheat and pumpernickel breads. Also love rice (both white and brown) and pasta, oatmeal, eggs, yogurt (the kind with fruit in it), REAL milk (get AWAY from me with that lowfat/nonfat skim crap please!) nuts, raisins, prunes, beans, oh, this is making me hungry LOL! But even though I refuse to give up red meat entirely, I do eat more chicken and fish than I do red meat. Oh, and I hate salt and pepper, so never put either on any of my food. (I season with garlic POWDER, onion POWDER or minced garlic, oregano and a touch of paprika for chicken). So I don't eat "Health Nazi Perfect" but I do eat WELL-BALANCED with a higher proportion of fresh and fresh-frozen than processed. The POINT: I hypothesize that I get enough nutrients from what I eat to keep me well out of the deficiency zone, so maybe that's why I never felt any significant changes in my health or abilities when I do, or don't, take vitamin pills or any kind of supplements.

Now.....enter my diagnosis of breast cancer in Feb 2009. At that time, while I was eating normally (as described above) -- totally balanced and MOSTLY healthy, in an approximate mix of 75% fresh/fresh frozen non-precooked package foods, 25% processed (I also sometimes like canned soups and most of the hot cereal I sometimes eat for breakfast is instant oatmeal or grits) -- I was in an "off" phase with vitamins and supplements: it had been a couple of years since I had taken any vitamins or supplements at all. I was physically feeling as good as I ever did -- except for the fact that my right breast had "turned into a rock," and for the past year and a half, I'd gotten infrequent episodes of twinges of pain in my left hip: a few days on, a few days off, a week or two on, months off, lather rinse and repeat --  which I attributed to "getting old and moldy" -- I was in my 40s, not my 20s! The only "food problem" I felt I had was eating a little too MUCH: I was all the way up to the highest weight I can stand to barely tolerate (i.e., still be able to hide LOL), which is 135 pounds (I'm 5'5). But hell, take enough second helpings, even when it's NOT sweets or junk food, you're still gonna gain weight. And I almost always had second helpings! My diet was very good in terms of its composition, but since I don't like playing or even watching sports, or doing exercise -- other than walking, which I didn't have TIME to do on a deliberate regular basis until my illness forced me into medical retirement and I was enough recovered from chemo to start -- and as such I was eating more than I burned, so yeah, duuhhhh! I had a 10-pound spare tire around my middle which I definitely didn't need (or like! LOL). But OK, I was middle-aged and only a little bit overweight -- uhhh, quite frankly, a LOT less overweight than at least half of the other middle-aged people I knew or saw while going about my business), not morbidly obese or anything. And then it all starts... Feb 2009 diagnosis with IBC (confirmed Stage IV once the immediate scan results came in, a couple weeks after the initial biopsy report of IBC). 

1. Chemo nurse tells me to start taking 1000 mg/day calcium supplements "now" (this was 2-3 weeks prior to starting chemo) because if I don't, the 6 rounds of TAC is going to knock my bones and teeth senseless. (yeah, I'm paraphrasing.) And, she adds, make sure I get a calcium supplement which includes 400 IU of D3 per tablet. Okay. I find a big bottle of Caltrate which fits the bill according to the chemo nurse's instructions, buy it, and start taking it every day. (Garsh and I used to think the Depakotes I used to take to prevent migraines were "Horse Pills" !!!) As chemo progressed, I had a harder and harder time taking them -- about half the time I came closer to choking than I liked. :-{ I decided after chemo I wasn't going to take it anymore, or at least I'd ask the onc or chemo nurse if I could stop.

2. About 2 weeks after my first chemo, my Pack Rat "Discovers" Vitamin D!! As in LOTS of it, and from what he reads and enthusiastically tells me (on the phone AND in an email with several links to sites about Vitamin D), not only can it help his "wintertime lethargy and lack of motivation" as he called it (though this marks his having learned the actual term is "seasonal affective disorder") but he also goes on and on about how good it is for cancer patients, especially breast cancer patients, who are often low on Vitamin D to begin with. You know, all the stuff being talked about HERE... LOL! Being more skeptical (and having an actual biology background), I told him that the links he sent me were definitely interesting and that business about seasonal affective disorder made a LOT of sense, but consisted of all anecdotal evidence, and I preferred to read some actual scientific papers if there were any to be had, and would let him know if I found any. I did find some, shared with him and interpreted a few biological implications where needed (I'm the biologist, he's the physicist, and we overlap in chemistry), and yes, there was actual scientific research documenting Vitamin D and seasonal affective disorder, breast cancer, colon cancer and even one with a study on influenza patients in a mental institution (IIRC).  So, OK then. He went whole hog on megadosing; I megadosed a little for awhile, though not as much as he did. That is, he started taking 15,000 IU/day every day, and still does. I took 10,000 IU/day for a couple of months, totally stopped for a month, and then resumed at 5,000 IU/day. My chemo nurse said I made a good decision on the Vitamin D and approved my dose (as to my Pack Rat's dose; she said "he's overdoing it a little but not to the point of toxicity"). My oncologist didn't seem to care one way or the other. Like he told me later on when I asked if it would be safe for me to try black cohosh to help the horrible hot flashes (I was desperate, but no, it didn't work), "Yes it's safe, and if it works for you, good, but no promises." Fast forward: I moved in October 2010 and had to sign up with a new treatment facility and got all new doctors, all new nurses, all new therapists. New PCP and new oncologist both said I was good on the calcium supplements; good dose, keep it up, but I only needed to be taking 1,000 IU/day of the Vitamin D. I dropped down to that and told my Pack Rat, who had been saying his ginormous doses of Vitamin D really helped him a LOT: had made him feel much better and more motivated in the winter, and even found cloudy/rainy days in spring, summer and fall to seem less gloomy. I told him what my new doctors said, that I was going to reduce my dosage and suggested he consider doing the same. I reduced, he didn't -- he believes that strongly that 15,000 IU/day is what HIS body needs; he says if  he didn't need it, it wouldn't have made him feel so much better. Well OK, it's his body, and it's not like he's smoking or drinking to alcoholic proportions! But I stepped MY dosage down and I'm fine. Y'know, truth be told, I have NEVER FELT *ANY* physical or mental differences for either good or bad, between taking or not taking Vitamin D at all, or taking a lot -- the 5,000 IU/day for a little over a year vs. taking less -- the 1,000 IU/day I stepped down to on the recommendation of my doctors, which is what I take at present. 

...and all's well, for now anyway, while I'm between treatments at least. Took me almost a year to do it with AIs fighting me every step of the way, but I lost ALL my excess weight (35 pounds) on the "Eat Less, Move More" plan (I ate the same foods I always eat, only in smaller portions for fewer calories, and went for walks every day weather permitting). I just turned 50 and I weigh 120 pounds, which is what I weighed in my late teens/early 20s! :-D Except for the terminal cancer, I'm healthy as a horse. LOL

julianna51

I take over 4000 D3 wich also includes K2 (to helpt calcium get to the bones where it needs to be) daily, plus whatever I get in my calcium and multivitamin and have done so since before BC.   My last test to check my levels showed me at around 70.   I understand that it is best to test in March (I guess after the winter months as that is when you would be lowest).   When I met with a medical oncolgist she told me my ongoing care along with a breast exam would be blood work which would include testing for vitamin D.  

I've seen a great video that came out of UC Davis in California about the benefits of Vitamin D which included prevention of breast, prostate and colon cancers (and prevention of reoccurence).  I'll try to locate it and post it here if I can.

As for getting some sunlight every day...make sure during that 20 minutes or so to NOT use sunblock.

julianna51

I agree....everybody does metabolize things in a different way.   All vitamin d supplents are not the same and some are better than others, more easily absorbed, etc.   So many things to think about!

julianna51

Hopefully this link will come through okay and there is no harm in posting it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ-qekFoi-o

This video has been around awhile but is very interesting...

DesignerMom

julianna-  Great, very informative video.  Thanks for sharing!

Heidihill

Even though I should get more on the ball with my Vitamin D levels and supplementation, I let my onc worry about it until now (I worry about exercise and diet) and he gives me megadose infusions in the winter, if necessary. I don't even know what my levels are. I told him the tablets give me a stomach ache. The infusions also make me feel sick but at least they are a one-shot deal. I do try to get sun exposure because I am brown, have later stage disease and had radiation therapy (see OP link). This winter I will try to spend time in lower latitudes. But it is hard to get away.

As with any medicine, dosages are not always clear, or even if they are good for everybody. A new study highlights the problem (quote below).

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110404084313.htm

Vitamin D Can Decrease -- Or Increase -- Breast Cancer Development and Insulin Resistance, Study Finds

In mice models of breast cancer, researchers at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, a part of Georgetown University Medical Center, found that vitamin D significantly reduced development of estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer both in lean and obese mice, but had no beneficial effect in estrogen receptor-negative (ER-) cancer. In fact, obese mice destined to develop ER- breast cancer were clearly worse off than lean ER- mice if they were given vitamin D in their diet.