Nutrition

What We Have Learned About Vitamin D Dosing?
Integrative Medicine
Vol. 9, No. 1, Feb/Mar 2010

Joseph Pizzorno, ND, Editor in Chief

The world standard uses nmol/l, while US standard uses mg/dl.
For vitamin D, to convert mg/dl to nmol/l, divide the mg/dl by 2.5.
For vitamin D, to convert nmol/l to mg/dl, just multiply by 2.5.

KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1) “Over the past several years, the surprising prevalence of vitamin D deficiency has become broadly recognized.”

2) Vitamin D deficiency is linked to:
Osteoporosis
Cardiovascular disease
Cancer
Autoimmune diseases
Multiple sclerosis
Pain
Loss of Cognitive function
Decreased strength
Increased rate of all-cause mortality

3) “Deficiency of vitamin D is now recognized as a pandemic, with more than half of the world’s population at risk.”

4) Approximately 50% of the healthy North American population and more than 80% of those with chronic diseases are vitamin D deficient.

5) 80% of healthy Caucasian infants are vitamin D deficient. [And the rate of
vitamin D deficiency tends to be greater in African American and Hispanic children].

6) Those with vitamin D deficiency experience 39% higher annual healthcare
costs than those with normal levels of vitamin D.

7) Suggested levels of vitamin D as measured by 25(OH)D3 is:
Caucasians 125 – 175 nmol/l = 50 - 70 mg/dl
Hispanics 100 – 150 nmol/l = 40 - 60 mg/dl
African Americans 80 – 120 nmol/l = 32- 48 mg/dl

8) The minimum blood levels of vitamin D [25(OH)D3] is 80 nmol/l (32 mg/dl).

9) Prolonged intake of 10,000 IU of supplemental vitamin D3 “is likely to pose no risk of adverse effects in almost all individuals.”

10) The maximum safe levels for vitamin 25(OH)D3 in the blood is 275 nmol/l (100 mg/dl).

11) Sarcoidosis patients (and other granulomatous diseases) should not supplement with vitamin D because it increases granuloma production increasing the risk of hypercalcemia.

12) A loading dose of supplemental vitamin D3 of 10,000 IU/day for 3 months and maintenance dose of 5,000 IU/day “is not enough for most people in northern climes.”

13) The loading dose of supplemental vitamin D3 should be about 20,000 IU/day for 3 – 6 months with a maintenance dose of 5,000 IU/day. Those taking this amount of supplemental vitamin D3 should periodically have their serum 25(OH)D3 levels measured.
The primary researcher on this product was Don Bellgrau, PhD. Dr. Bellgrau is a tenured Professor of Immunology and Medicine at the University of Colorado, Denver, where he is a Program Leader in Immunology and Immunotherapy at the Cancer Center on vitamin D3 supplementation. Dr. Bellgrau has conducted experiments with nutrients/vitamin D and immune cells. He has published in over 100 peer-reviewed articles, including the Journal of Neurooncology, Nature, Clinical Immunology, Cancer Research, Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, and Cell Transplantation.