Vitamin C and Mineral Powder and other things

[purposefirst]

Owen said,

For me, the dosage of vitamin D3 you are taking is higher than I would recommend or than I would take myself, as are your resulting blood levels. So in a way we are in violent agreement. I just object to the word "toxicity" being used with respect to any vitamin without qualifications

The official blood range for D3 is between 32-100 ng/mL. I'm at 54 ng/mL. It seems to me that according to Dr. Levy that is where I should be (in the lower part of the range). That is about what my reading was 5 months prior also. Apparently I need 7,000 IU to put me at that reading. So I do not see what you see as not being okay. Also, it seems like if you disagree with me on this point, you are also disagreeing with Dr. Levy. (???)

In regard to use of the word "toxicity," I can understand your aversion to that word in regard to any vitamin considering how mainstream medicine treats vitamin therapies... However, if any particular vitamin or nutrient used in excess begins to cause harmful effects, then it is appropriate to use the word "toxic" in that regard -- as does Dr. Levy in regard to excessive vitamin D3.

I am interested whether you ever get colds during the winter (whether your high blood levels are protective.)

I doubt if I've had a real cold since upping my vitamin D about a year ago

And I assume you are taking vitamins K and A to balance your high levels, correct?

Yep, 15-30 mg of K2 (Mk 4) + LE Super K; and cod liver oil + A in my multi.

[purposefirst]

Furthermore, Owen, why do you consider the 7000 IU of vitamin D I'm taking to be "high levels" if my bloods test shows that I'm in the LOWER part of the acceptable range at that dose?

For example: You would not consider someone who was taking 8 gms of C and had a bowel tolerance of 50 gms to be taking a "high" amount of C, right? But if that same person had a bowel tolerance of 9 gms, then 8 gms would be considered to be on the high side for that person.

In other words, it depends. If my body needs, and is using, 7000 IU, and reads in the lower range, then in my case that amount is not "high," but adequate. If there is something I'm not considering, please correct me.

[ofonorow]

I am not an expert in vitamin D - but I know the ranges have been elevated and I find that my lowly 35 ug completely protects me from infection. I take 25,000 vit A, 1 Super-K and my UV/B light plus now 2000 iu D3. My bones are rock hard (So hard my dentist could not remove all of my wisdom teeth.)

Vitamin A is a Vitamin K antagonist when taken in "large doses," and when taken in excessive amounts Vitamin A can cause hemorrhage. For those of use who do take both Vitamin K and Vitamin A either from a multi-vitamin or in separate supplement form, I believe the extra Vitamin A is canceling out the Vitamin K we are taking as well. Can anybody at the forum shed some more light on this interaction?

Something is mixed up in the paragraph. Where has it found that excessive amounts of vitamin A can cause hemorrhage? (Did you mean vitamin K???)

[ofonorow]

Regarding first link - please quote the paragraph as I could not find it and stopped after reading..

vitamin A might do more harm than good. In an analysis of studies, taking vitamin A supplements alone or in combination with other antioxidants is associated with an increased risk of mortality from all causes (15305).

Because I know the above statement is UNTRUE. This is not the Vitamin A Foundation, but a Finnish study on Beta Carotene that reported this was later reanalyzed by researchers from YALE - and when the antioxidants were reanalyzed in toto (not isolated) there was not such negative effect.

In this case at least, this page is reporting known faulty information.

We would be interested in published cases of bleeding due to high vitamin A intake - and what drugs the bleeders were taking at the time.

Here is an old page, links probably out of date, but the relevant message is:

http://www.vitamincfoundation.org/bash.htm

Antioxidant Combo Decreases Smokers' Cancer Risk ...

NEW LOOK, OLD FINNISH DATA! contradicts long held and widely reported belief that beta carotene increases cancer risk in smokers...

In the 'new' study, researchers from Yale University and other US institutes together with colleagues from the National Public Health Institute in Helsinki, Finland analysed the same data but looked at the total intake of antioxidants, including selenium, vitamin E, vitamin C as well as carotenoids and flavonoids, rather than one single antioxidant.

The researchers report that smokers in the top quintile of dietary antioxidant intake had a 16 per cent lower risk of lung cancer compared to those with the lowest intake.

Smokers who ate large amounts of meat had a 25 per cent decrease, despite red meat having a high oxidative effect.

The results counter the earlier findings of the Finnish ATBC study, carried out in the 90s, which found an increased risk of the disease for smokers with high beta-carotene intake.

[ofonorow]

[ofonorow]

No interaction in my personal experience - or knowledge previous to this assertion in this post.

The problem here is that vitamin A promotes cell differentiation, which means (if you subscribe to the stem-cell theory of cancer) that it is a potentially a strong and exceptionally cheap way to control cancer. In fact, there have been several reports that we have posted where vitamin A is as effective or more effective, especially for soft cancers like leukemias, than standard chemotherapies.

In my humble opinion, the reason there are so many attacks and false studies regarding vitamin A is to try and deal with this inexpensive competition to the Cancer Industry - chemotherapy. The propaganda has been VERY effective, and I fear that the Vitamin D Council, and even Life Extension has fallen prey to the vitamin A fear - because there are studies after all (Please read Hickey's TARNISHED GOLD!!)

Just keep in mind that there is a strong economic incentive to create false science about vitamin A so we have to be careful.

[pamojja]

[purposefirst]

Thanks, Johny, looks like good info.

Consequently I'll endeavor to space my vitamin A intake separate from E, D, K.

[ofonorow]