Worried about taking Vitamin D supplement

[sharanbr]

My vitamin D level generally comes down to around 25 ng/ml. Last time around it was 31 ng/ml and since then I have been supplementing with 50K IU per week.

Let me explain the reason. I have hashimotos and I thought it was normal to have a low vitamin D as many people with Hashi have suggested. Now, the place where I live is normally sunny. I go out for cycling every morning and exercise a bit. Normally, this is close to an hour every day (7 days a week normally).

Anyway, I came across multiple articles that say that your vitamin D levels always maintain balance with calcium in the body. If vitamin D level is low for no apparent reason then it may mean that calcium levels are high and to compensate this vitamin D has gone down.

Now this makes sense in my case as there is no reason for me to be low in vitamin D despite going out in sun for almost 60 minutes every day. This is making me worried as whether I am artificially raising my vitamin D levels when my body is keeping it low on purpose.

Please help. I don't know whether to continue to supplement with vitamin D or let my natural system take care.
My last level was 40+ ng/ml

[Barb135]

How long are you supposed to maintain the 50K IU dosage?  You should be able to drop down to a maintenance dosage soon, and as long as you take the supplement regularly, your level should continue to rise slowly.

[sharanbr]

4 weeks was what I was advised.

[Barb135]

50K/week of vitamin D is considered a "mega dose", though and is not taken on an ongoing basis.  Typically, a mega-dose is only taken for a few weeks at a time, then one is dropped down to a maintenance dosage, of around 2000 IU/day.  

sharanbr, in your first paragraph, you say your last level was 31 and in the last paragraph that it was 40, but not how long ago it was tested.  I know that seems nit-picky, but 31 is below range and 40 is coming up... We don't know how long you've been on the mega-dose.

[sharanbr]

Hi Barb,

Before I started taking Vitamin D supplement of 50K IU per week, it was 31  and then after 5-6 weeks of supplement, I am at 46 ng/ml

[Red_Star]

As the calcium level increases, the level of vitamin D usually decreases in the body's effort to limit the amount of calcium absorbed.

I read the article and yes it is true that inflammation does lower vitamin D, however what the author fails to mention is that vitamin D deficiency also causes inflammation.

Vitamin D deficiency can be a result of chronic disease but vitamin D deficiency can also cause illness and increase the risk of disease.

[Barb135]

sharanbr... for some of us, it doesn't matter whether we live in a sunny place and how much time we spend in the sun.  For some reason, our body doesn't produce the vitamin D we need anyway.  I live in a very sunny place, also, and during the summer, it's common for me to be outside for much longer than an hour/day, but my vitamin D levels are still low.

One thing you must remember is that simply being in the sun is not sufficient - you must also have sufficient skin exposed, as well.  For instance, if you are out all day, but have long sleeves and long pants on, you will not be absorbing the sun's rays, so your body will not produce vitamin D.  When I am out in the summer, I wear shorts, with sleeveless tops, so my arms, legs, back, etc are exposed and don't produce enough vitamin D.  That's normal with hypothyroidism AND as we get older.

[Red_Star]

I meant ng/ml not ng/L. :)

[Red_Star]

Optimal calcium absorption occurs when vitamin D level are at 32 ng/L (80 nmol/L). Calcium levels never rise due to vitamin D deficiency. Excess vitamin D can cause high calcium (a rare listed cause of hypercalcemia).

To lower the risk of cancer, studies show vitamin D needs to be at least 40 ng/L (100 nmol/L).
It is not healthy to be low in vitamin D.

[sharanbr]

Hi Red_Star,

RIght. Calcium does not rise due to low vitamin D. What I am reading is that if calcium is high then vitamin D goes low to balance out. A high vitamin D would mean more calcium which is already in excess.

Another thing I am reading is that chronic diseases are not causes of vitamin D deficiency but it is an effect due to chronic diseases. The following article gives good info:
https://www.forksoverknives.com/vitamin-d-supplements-are-harmful-sunshine-and-food-determine-health/#gs.uOHeoB4