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You were definitely going overboard in avoiding sun exposure. If you're not willing to go out in the sun more (and I understand that, but you can see that it causes problems) then you need to supplement, there is no way around it.
Anyway, I am skeptical of the claim that a few minutes of sun per day on face and arms is adequate.
i am supposed to be taking 50.000 units of D2 weekly and did for a year or so but i have not in 6 months since i lost my job and insurance and can not tell any difference in how i feel ...
I don't have links to refute any of the above, but I can only say that I live in Southern California, and for over 12 years before my levels were tested, I walked my dog 1.5 hours every day, except on the rare occasions when it was really raining too hard. Most of those days were sunny. I generally wore short sleeves, nothing on my head, and no sunscreen. I was still borderline vitamin D deficient.
That's really interesting. There might be a few things going on.
First off, too much UV can actually destroy Vitamin D/pre-vitamin D in the skin. This is why a base tan is crucial to vitamin D production in high-light environments.
Second, it takes a while for it to absorb into your skin. You could be washing it off before it has a chance to enter your dermal capillary bed.
Third, it could be some other problem with Vitamin D metabolism, like low vitamin D-binding protein. For whatever reason.
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Originally Posted by KillerInstinct
also I forgot to mention I been getting very little sunlight and sunlight alone can give someone thousands of unit of vitamin D in just a few minutes a day, that's crazy, my dermatologist told me to avoid sunlight due to wrinkles and when it was summer I was using sunscreen for the short amount of time I was exposed to the sun and that's less than 3 minutes in total when walking from my job to the parking lot to go home, during lunch I always eat with the tinted windows (just got it last year) and the window shield is covered also. Lack of sunlight I am sure has to do with low vitamin D because the first week of this year I was off from work and I got 0 sunlight, that's 7 days with 0 sunlight. I only went to the store in the early morning or at night. I don't want to get darker than I am, I'm hispanic, mestizo, not really dark but my arms are white like a white person's arms since I always wear long sleeve only.
No wonder you're deficient! Stop avoiding sun, you both tolerate and need it more than whiter people do. If you want to avoid sun because you're afraid you'll become *gasp* the skin color you were born to be, and don't want to take D3 because you're vegan, then you should expect nothing more than poor health.
You were definitely going overboard in avoiding sun exposure. If you're not willing to go out in the sun more (and I understand that, but you can see that it causes problems) then you need to supplement, there is no way around it.
Anyway, I am skeptical of the claim that a few minutes of sun per day on face and arms is adequate.
then what should be the minimum then, also does it matter what part of my skin is exposed to sunlight? what if it's just 1 arm for 30 minutes or 1 hour a day, is that good enough or what if it's just my face or just my legs
I am no expert but I read that exposing your midriff to the sun is the best way to get the vitamin D hit you need - I guess how long you do that is probably variable depending on any number of factors (skin type, sun angle, location, season, etc.) - may be as little as 20 minutes a day - but I doubt you will get too many wrinkles on your belly or elsewhere if you cover up everything else while you are doing that.
OP - I also have periodically have Vit D deficiency and get my blood tested regularly. My doc puts me on hi doses in the K's range and then I do maintenance of D3 in smaller doses - if this is of any reassurance to you. You might find this newsletter from The Vitamin D Council helpful The Vitamin D Newsletter
First off, too much UV can actually destroy Vitamin D/pre-vitamin D in the skin. This is why a base tan is crucial to vitamin D production in high-light environments.
Second, it takes a while for it to absorb into your skin. You could be washing it off before it has a chance to enter your dermal capillary bed.
Third, it could be some other problem with Vitamin D metabolism, like low vitamin D-binding protein. For whatever reason.
I don't think the first and second reasons apply (after all those years of walking outside, I definitely had a base tan, and I rarely bathed right after a walk, but rather not until the next morning). The third one, maybe, but I would have no idea.
I've known other people in my area who were tested with low vitamin D levels, and they were not all avoiding sunshine. As a result, I don't buy into the one-size-fits-all "ten minutes in the sun" recommendation (I've even heard "You get enough, just walking from your house to your car" ) because it is clearly not adequate for many people.
I have been taking D3 5000(pill form) for 3 months had my blood retaken and still not much of an improvement so now I'm taking it in liquid form...I guess I'll know better in a few months...
I was also diagnosed with low D levels and I live in Arizona. I thought I had a lot of sun exposure but I guess not. I take D3 vitamins, about 3000 mg although I'm told to take more but I try to be in the sun as much as possible as nothing can replace the actual sun for the vitamin. I notice a difference when I don't get enough of the sun or take my vitamins. It affects my mood and overall sense of well being. I read somewhere that you can take 10,000 mg of D3 for a few months before you could overdose on it. Now, listen to your doctor first but that was from my research.
I have been taking D3 5000(pill form) for 3 months had my blood retaken and still not much of an improvement so now I'm taking it in liquid form...I guess I'll know better in a few months...
you said 5,000, you dont need a prescription for that because its not that high the dosage
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) because it is clearly not adequate for many people.
