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Vitamin D
Hi!
What are your thoughts on taking a very high dose of Vitamin D twice / year vs supplementing lower doses daily?
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1 Reply
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Hi @Nathalie Khoury, when it comes to supplementation, “low ‘n slow” is always preferred especially with a fat-soluble “vitamin” like Vit D. Unlike water-soluble vitamins, which our bodies can easily excrete through urine, fat-soluble vitamins have the potential to accumulate in fat over time.
For starters, all nutrients dance together, so taking a high dose of 1 nutrient can negatively affect other nutrients unknowingly.
For example, high dose vitamin D can increase calcium absorption. While you might think that’s a good thing, it doesn’t necessarily mean the calcium is going into bones. If co-factors, like vitamin K2 is missing for example, then calcium may deposit in soft tissues instead and lead to calcification.
And since we need magnesium to convert vitamin D to its final form, it can deplete magnesium reserves. Low magnesium can lead to various symptoms like cramps, headaches, constipation, muscle twitches/spasms, etc and overall tightness in the body. Magnesium deficiency is already an issue for the majority of people today. You can see more risk factors HERE from the Mineral Balance course.
High vitamin D supplementation can also deplete Vitamin A, which is needed for thyroid conversion and immune health. So it can lead to a host of thyroid-related symptoms HERE, and lead to immunosuppression instead of supporting immunity.
Also keep in mind that vitamin D is not a vitamin but a pro-hormone, therefore high dose vit D can have hormone like-effects, and lead to hot flashes.
We actually have a great handout on vitamin D dosages HERE that you can read to learn more.
Hope this helps!
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