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Recent test came back at 29 ng/l. Now I need a plan.

Should I take

10 000iu a day? 15 000iu a day?

I use this Vitamin D product http://www.iherb.com/m/Now-Foods-Vitamin-D-3-Highest-Potency-5-000-IU-120-Softgels/10421

Anything better I should buy? How long will the progress take tik I am at optimal levels?

Also take 1 teaspoon of fermented clo daily.

Thank you

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3 
 There are a number of good threads on Vitamin D supplementation, including discussion of cod liver oil. Here are two: paleohacks.com/questions/16289/clo-vs-vitamin-d and paleohacks.com/questions/58092/… – Sara S. Apr 20 2012 at 11:52
2 
 How about sitting in the sun for a few minutes each day? – Banded Girl Apr 20 2012 at 15:28
Unless you're in Alaska or Stockholm I would get out in the sun. – San Diego Dude Apr 20 2012 at 18:10

2 Answers

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It probably varies from person to person (based on where you live, sun exposure, etc), but I can tell you my experience.

In Oct 2009, (pre-paleo) my levels were 31. The lab reference range was 30-100, so I didn't think anything about it at the time. Fast forward to Sept 2010, I started Paleo. In October 2010, I started supplementing 5000 IU/day of D3 (just like the brand you link). In Dec 2010, I had a check up and blood work done. My D levels were up to 61. So that was a doubling in about 2 months.

I live in the Boston area and wasn't getting a whole lot of sun exposure Oct-Dec, so I attribute the rise almost exclusively to the supplementation.

Since then I've started taking FCLO, which has D as well. So, I've switched to 2000 IU soft gels so I can have more control over the exact amount I'm supplementing. I now try to adjust my D intake based on how much sun I've gotten, whether I've taken my fclo, etc.

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Thank you! I have been supplementing with between 4000iu to 8000iu since last July. I wonder what my levels were before I started doing that. Must have been really low if I'm still 10 months lately with daily Vitamin D supplementing is only at 29 ng/l? Thinking about either 10 000iu or 15 000iu from softgels. Is liquid form better? – Lost and found Apr 20 2012 at 13:51
Or do you think I'm struggling absorbing the D's? – Lost and found Apr 20 2012 at 13:52
In summer mid-day sun with pale skin, 30 minutes of direct sunlight will produce 10-20,000 IU of vitamin D. Based on that, Mark Sisson suggests that supplementing up to 10K iu per day would be well tolerated by most people. (He has a pretty good write up on Vit D here: marksdailyapple.com/…) There is a danger of Vit D toxicity, especially if you are deficient in Vit A or K2, or both. So, I wouldn't supplement at very high doses for long without blood tests to make sure you aren't going too high. – Todd B Apr 20 2012 at 16:49
Also, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the softgels are essentially liquid in a gel casing, so I think the difference is more convenience than therapeutic. – Todd B Apr 20 2012 at 16:52
blog.vitamindcouncil.org/2011/11/08/… "Does it matter how you take vitamin D" Summary: "The fact is that the studies are so conflicting, and the 25(OH)D measurement techniques are so variable, that it simply does not matter if you take vitamin D in oil or as a powder, it does not matter if you take food with your vitamin D, or on an empty stomach. What matter is that you take enough so that you obtain vitamin D levels of 50 -60 ng/ml" – daz Apr 21 2012 at 2:50
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Plane ticket to Mexico or the Carribbean should fix you right up. My levels shot up after one week of a little more sun than I had intended to get when I went to a wedding on the west coast of Mexico.

Man oh man, I wish we could get doctor prescribed vacations in the US like they do in some slightly more civilized countries. Wouldn't it be a beautiful thing to walk into the HR office where you work and hand them a doctors note saying you need to go to Mallorca or Nice for 3 weeks?

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