Vitamin D3 - Never Saw It Coming . . .
I don't really post here anymore, but this might help someone else so I've got to share this. I have type 2 diabetes and was diagnosed February 2009 with fasting blood glucose of 350 and an A1c of 11.5. I got my A1C down to 6.5 in 3 months with exercise and a low carb diet.
As of yesterday's report, my A1C is 5.3. I gave up the low carb diet and have been eating carbs with dinner for the last 3 months. I avoid bread, rice, candy, desserts, etc. I love corn nachos and tacos and Vietnamese Pho.
I'll tell you what has really, really made a difference - vitamin D3. I accidentally increased my D3 intake from 2000 IUs to 3000 IUs a day (multivitamin, calcium tabs and D3 cap). OMG! My fasting numbers are in the low 80s. I still have sugar spikes but not as high and my blood glucose levels are back to normal within 2 hours.
But that was just the beginning. A blood test showed my vitamin D level was low. That was odd because I was spending a minimum of 5 hours a week in the Georgia sun and I was taking 2000 IUs of vitamin D3 a day. I increased my D3 dosage to 4000 IUs a day, and went back to eating carbs with dinner. After 30 years of not being able to drink coffee or tea because of caffeine intolerance, I can drink caffeinated beverages again. I've also been mildly depressed for years and to be honest, I've gone through at least 2 nasty depressions. I never expected a change - I feel peaceful, content, even optimistic about the future.
My point is simple - get your vitamin D level checked. Ideally, your 25-OH-vitamin D3 should be between 40 ng/ml and 70 ng/ml. The maximum safe level appears to be 80 ng/ml. If you're on insulin, be careful, because increasing vitamin D can cause lows. Do the research before you supplement. If you do choose to supplement, use an oil cap of Vitamin D3 for best absorption. It takes months to improve blood levels to normal and the only way to tell whether vitamin D levels have improved is by blood test.
As of yesterday's report, my A1C is 5.3. I gave up the low carb diet and have been eating carbs with dinner for the last 3 months. I avoid bread, rice, candy, desserts, etc. I love corn nachos and tacos and Vietnamese Pho.
I'll tell you what has really, really made a difference - vitamin D3. I accidentally increased my D3 intake from 2000 IUs to 3000 IUs a day (multivitamin, calcium tabs and D3 cap). OMG! My fasting numbers are in the low 80s. I still have sugar spikes but not as high and my blood glucose levels are back to normal within 2 hours.
But that was just the beginning. A blood test showed my vitamin D level was low. That was odd because I was spending a minimum of 5 hours a week in the Georgia sun and I was taking 2000 IUs of vitamin D3 a day. I increased my D3 dosage to 4000 IUs a day, and went back to eating carbs with dinner. After 30 years of not being able to drink coffee or tea because of caffeine intolerance, I can drink caffeinated beverages again. I've also been mildly depressed for years and to be honest, I've gone through at least 2 nasty depressions. I never expected a change - I feel peaceful, content, even optimistic about the future.
My point is simple - get your vitamin D level checked. Ideally, your 25-OH-vitamin D3 should be between 40 ng/ml and 70 ng/ml. The maximum safe level appears to be 80 ng/ml. If you're on insulin, be careful, because increasing vitamin D can cause lows. Do the research before you supplement. If you do choose to supplement, use an oil cap of Vitamin D3 for best absorption. It takes months to improve blood levels to normal and the only way to tell whether vitamin D levels have improved is by blood test.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Patricia on -
Thanks for sharing Yvonne...I too found out I had low serum D levels and was told to supplement. Months before I had an unusual infection on my leg that required antibiotics...first time this had ever happened to me and w/ a minor scape. Dr's treated and never found out what the bacterium was that caused the infection...but, given my T1 they were aggressive. I have great circulation, no neuropathy, etc....but, when they checked labs, this came back. Some articles have come out suggesting that low Vit D levels are associated w/ diabetes, suppressed immune systems, and rates of infections. I know take 2g/d (about 4 months) and a multivitamin. Plan on having labs checked soon....thanks for sharing your experiences:)
-
Permalink Reply by Kristin on -
Thanks Yvonne!
Low vitamin D levels is very common among people with diabetes. I tested at 25 ng/ml, which my doctor said was "normal" (it was the lowest value that the lab declared as normal). I started taking vitamin D3 drops everyday. I didn't see any different in my blood sugars or need for insulin. But I think that my energy level improved (of course, I can't prove that this was because of the D3.)
They are considering drastically increasing the recommended daily dose of vitamin D.
-
Permalink Reply by Michelle on -
Kristin, I got vit D drops (in an oil/water emulsion) of 2000 IU and was told to keep them in the fridge. Do other folks keep them in the fridge? I forget to take them every day as they are not with my supplements.
If anyone has time, I posted a discussion last night about calcium and supplements and I'd sure love to hear back from others. so far no one has posted a thing.
thanks in advance,
Michelle
-
Permalink Reply by Kristin on
-
I don't keep them in the fridge. I didn't realize that it was necessary! If I kept it in the fridge, I would probably forget to take it too!
-
Permalink Reply by Yvonne on -
I don't bother to refrigerate my vit D drops either. I checked the label on the Carlson vit D3 drops and it doesn't suggest to refrigerate after opening. Since I take 4000 IUs a day, I keep a bottle at home and another at work.
If you haven't taken a look at the website Kevin recommended, you might want to take a peek. It's by far the best source of info I've seen so far. (Gibson Research is a serious source for internet security, by the way)
-
Permalink Reply by Sweet Fur on -
this is very interesting. is there a difference between vitamin d and vitamin d3? last year i was told i have low vitamin d but they were concerned with bone loss. so... is this something different? thanks for any help!
-
Permalink Reply by Kevin Lamken on -
Steve Gibson at grc.com has compiled a lot of vitamin D information, you can see it here: http://www.grc.com/health/vitamin-d.htm. I was clueless about Vi-D until I started digging into his findings. BTW, Steve is THE security computer guru, he has a weekly podcast with Leo Laporte of Tech-TV fame. The guy is very thorough if nothing else.
My Vitamin D level tested at 11 ng/ml, which classifies me as deficient. My doctor told me to take 50,000 i.u. per week for 6 weeks, then we'll retest. Since Vi-D3 is a steroid hormone, I'm hoping my joints will stop hurting due to inflammation.
-
Permalink Reply by Yvonne on
-
Kevin,
Ah, Steve Gibson of Gibson Research. I've used his website for years to test my firewall. I'll check out his vitamin D info, thanks.
Another safe thing you can take for joint pain is fish oil and evening primrose oil. Thanks to vitamin D, my arthritis has really eased up. The damage to my fingers is permanent, but not progressing any more. I take 2 capsules of purified fish oil twice a day plus 1 capsule of evening primrose oil (Omega 9/GLA) twice a day. I also give my old hound dog a smaller dose for his shoulder pain.
There's a definite link between autoimmune diseases and vitamin d deficiency. I have to wonder whether I'd have diabetes or corrosive osteo-arthritic damage to my fingers if I'd known to supplement vitamin d as an 18 year old. I started having issues with caffeine after I graduated from high school and went straight to work in a windowless office.
-
Permalink Reply by Judith on -
I also have had success with evening primrose oil and fish oil, Yvonne, for my arthritic knees in particular. I've been doing Vit D capsules at 2000 units/day. I'm going to up that dosage and it sounds like I better switch to the oil form when the capsules run out!
For BS control, I have also had excellent results from Nopal powder (an ancient Latin American remedy for "the sugars") and good old Fenugreek.
Thanks for the post!.....Judith in Portland
P.S. Just checked the bottle---the soft gells have the D in olive oil. What do you think---does that help with absorption?
-
Permalink Reply by Anne on -
Vitamin D is oil soluble so it is best to take a D with oil. Don't use the dry stuff. D3 or cholecalciferol is better utilized that D2 ergocalciferol.
I have met a number of people who were told by their doctors they could stop the D once the level came up to "normal". All of them became deficient and were put back on the D. One person has been on and off D 3 times and says her doctor doesn't understand why her level keeps dropping. The answer is simple - you need a constant supply of D.
I was deficient and now I have been able to keep my D around 50ng/m. for the past 6 months with 5000 IU a day of D3. I did not notice any impact on my blood sugar when I got my D in the optimal range.
I switched from fish oil to Krill oil and noticed that my skin is much less dry. My joint pain disappeared when I went gluten free 6 yrs ago.
-
Permalink Reply by Mandy on
-
That's exactly what my doctor put me on, on Thursday. She's going to check me again in 4 months. I think my ergocalciferol is actually D2. I always thought D3 absorbed better, so I'm a little confused.
Anyway, all my vitamin levels SUCK! My d was 4, my b12 was 125 after 6 months of 2,500 - 5,000 MCG sublingual b12, and finally ferritin was 1. Anyone else have this many vit/mineral issues?
-
Permalink Reply by Anne on
-
If you are having problems with many nutrient levels you may want to be checked for things that interfere with absorption. Are you on acid blockers or proton pump inhibitors? Could you have celiac disease/gluten sensitivity? Are you on Metformin - that is known to interfere with B12.
The Gluten File has a section on nutrient deficiencies. http://jccglutenfree.googlepages.com/ The links are on the right near the bottom of the page.
Advertisement
REsources
Groups
From the Diabetes Hands Foundation blog...
Congratulations Diabetes Advocates Scholarship Recipients!
The Diabetes Hands Foundation and Diabetes Advocates Program is proud to announce and congratulate the members of DA who were granted scholarships to attend diabetes conferences in 2013! Thanks to a generous grant from Novo Nordisk, in 2013 we were …Continue Reading
La Familia de EsTuDiabetes Sigue Creciendo
El Centro Nacional de Prevención de Enfermedades Crónicas y Promoción de la Salud en el Estados Unidos encontró que a partir de 2002-2009, el 11,8% de los hispanos mayores de 20 años, que viven en los EU, viven con diabetes …Continue Reading
TuDiabetes Team
DHF STAFF
 Manny Hernandez(Co-Founder, Editor, has LADA)
|
DHF VOLUNTEERS
Lead Administrator
 Bradford (has type 1) |
Administrators
 Lorraine (mother of type 1) |
 Marie B (has type 1) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
LIKE us on Facebook
Spread the word
This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.
© 2013 A community of people touched by diabetes, run by the Diabetes Hands Foundation.
