Vitamin d

Thanks for the article, interesting indeed!

Does anyone know what the safe dose of vitiman D is that is refered to in the article?

"There is no compelling reason to wait for further studies to incorporate vitamin D supplements into standard care regimens since a safe dose of vitamin D needed to achieve high serum levels above 30 nanograms per milliliter has already been established," lead study author Dr. Cedric F. Garland of UCSD, added in a statement."

Although I think it is probably a good idea to keep up vit D levels, the correlation between higher vit D levels and better survival does not really mean that taking loads of vit D will improve survival. "It might" is probably the most you can say. it is completely possible that some other factor causes both low D and high cancer mortality, for example, and that this factor can't be alleviated with high doses of vit D.

For what it's worth, I had better results using liquid vitamin D drops then the capsule form. So far, I am able to maintain blood levels between 60 - 70 but I need to take 4000 - 6000 daily to keep it in this range. note: My dermatolgist also preferred I use oral supplements for vitamin D as I am high risk for melanoma. So I avoid intense sun, stay covered and use sunscreens.

I think in order to know if you need vitamin D supplements you need to have your levels checked. Mine were very low a year prior to my BC diagnosis (who knows for how long) . By supplementing I've kept them in the 70-80 range. You really need to be tested regularly if supplementing to see what your levels are doing and make adjustments as needed. I have mine tested about twice a year since they were once in the toilet. I currently take 5000-6000 units per day.

I live in the southern US, play tennis outdoors year round (in the sun for at least 3 hours a day) AND take Vitamin D supplements and years of this leaves me at a Vitamin D level in the 20's. I have tried all types of d. I think I have some sort of issue metabolizing D too.

I take emulsified vitamin D3 drops under the tongue. The company is Biotics Research, bio-d-Mulsion forte. I got my vitamin d level from 57 up to 98. MO said great, now back off a bit. I was aiming for between 70-100 during chemo as optimal for acute phase during treatment. Interestingly, my vitamin D level was one thing my MO tested right off the bat after diagnosis and prior to starting chemo. I have her test me every few months to make sure I don't go too far. If you are doing vitamin d supplementation, research doing it synergistically with vitamin K2.

Hope this information helps!

I'm newly diagnosed and just got my results... 36!

Did you take the vitamins during chemo or wait until after?

I did genetic testing through 23andme.com where you send in a saliva sample and they look at your genome. It turns out that I am "vitamin D resistant" meaning that I have trouble getting enough D from the sun. I now supplement and my level is around 50. My nutritionist said that it should be between 40 and 60, no higher. Testing is important because everyone is an individual, and you don't know if you are taking too much or not enough unless you test.