Vitamin D quiz answers

Here are the answers.  Everyone that responded did really well, so good job everybody!

What type of vitamin D do we need, D2 or D3?  Why?

D3.  D2 must be converted to D3 in the body in order for the body to use it and it takes a lot of D2 to make just a little D3.

If our vitamin D level is really low, should we take the prescription vitamin D?  Explain why or why not.

Nope.  It’s D2, plus it’s in oil and we don’t absorb fats well.  The reason vitamin D is sometimes in oil is because it’s a fat soluble vitamin so “normal" people would absorb it well that way.  But we are different.

Which vitamin D test do we need when we get our labs done, Vitamin D 25 Hydroxy or Vitamin D 1,25 Dihydroxy?

Vitamin D 25 Hydroxy.  And I’m afraid I can’t remember exactly why.  But the 1,25 dihydroxy test does not tell us anything that we need to know.

What should our vitamin D level be?

At least 80.   Lower than that, we are at increased risk for things like osteoporosis, heart disease and some cancers.

What happens if our vitamin D level gets too low?

Many people don’t notice any symptoms of low vitamin D, at least not until it’s super super low.  Then they might get tired easily, feel weak, have muscle pain, feel depressed and get sick easily.  High blood pressure is sometimes a symptom of low vitamin D, too.  Perhaps the most serious thing is that we won’t absorb calcium well, no matter how much we take.  We’ll leach calcium out of our bones to keep the level in our blood good instead.

What is dry vitamin D and why is it important that we get it dry?

It just means it’s not in oil.  It’s a dry tablet or a capsule with powdery stuff inside.  We don’t want it in oil since we malabsorb fats.

And here are a couple of good links if you wanna learn more about vitamin D:

lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminD/

www.vitamindcouncil.org/

Girl, I had no CLUE on these! Thank you for teaching me!

All true answers. I've had D issues since day 1, and my D labs are almost at 80 now with the dry D3 50K IU usage. Each patient's requirement for D will vary.  I took 4 of the 50K IU dry D3 per week for 2 1/2 years and finally got a 65. I began with an 8 for my D post op. Script D for 6 months only raised the D levels to a 14.  5 weeks on a liquid vitamin with only 600IU dry D3 in the daily dosage raised my D from a 14 to a 33, so it's the dry D3 that seems to be most beneficial.  50K IU levels of D3 are not obtainable at most stores. I get mine from Vitalday.com and I've also seen a brand she carries on Amazon.  100 capsules for aroudn $23, so not too expensive to fix D issues. DAVE