# Vitamin D **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 10, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-d/595842 "2011-09-10T18:55:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-d/595842/1 "2011-09-10T18:55:20Z")
I had a physical a couple of days ago. (BP 110/80, PSA normal, cholesterol not great but the doc wasn’t too concerned about it, heart and lungs sound fine.) I’ve heard, anecdotally, that doctors tend to obsess about vitamin D and calcium up here. Nurse Roomie looked up the vitamin D numbers in her book, and I’m either below the recommended level (ng/ml), or at the lower end, depending on which level the number refers to. Doc’s given me a prescription for 50,000 units of vitamin D once a week. Reading a little on vitamin D, it apparently has many more benefits than I was aware of. Do you pay attention to vitamin D, other than noting that it’s in your milk? (Aside: Roomie and I were talking about catfish for dinner today. Wiki says catfish is a good source of vitamin D. Other fatty fish are as well, and I like the ones they listed.) ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-d/595842/2 "2011-09-10T18:59:33Z")
While searching for an answer to my chronic fatigue I read the book [The Vitamin D Cure](http://www.amazon.com/Vitamin-D-Cure-James-Dowd/dp/0470131551). It seemed to be well researched and well documented and I found it compelling, so I upped my daily intake. It didn’t cure my fatigue. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-d/595842/3 "2011-09-10T19:38:22Z")
The same thing happened to me last year at my annual physical. I took the 50,000 unit capsules once a week for several months which was supposed to boost my system into making it for itself (I think???), but it didn’t really do any good. This year my Vitamin D levels were even lower. The standard being 30 - 100, and my levels at 20. Now I take 2000 units (otc) every day. I haven’t ever noticed any sort of difference in taking them or not. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-d/595842/4 "2011-09-10T20:11:14Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > While searching for an answer to my chronic fatigue I read the book [The Vitamin D Cure](http://www.amazon.com/Vitamin-D-Cure-James-Dowd/dp/0470131551). It seemed to be well researched and well documented and I found it compelling, so I upped my daily intake. > > It didn’t cure my fatigue. 😃 I live in SC, USA, so I’m not too worried about my D levels, honestly. I mainly aim for the other direction - trying not to burn my skin off over the summertime. I will say, if you’re chronically fatigued, check out your thyroid, and also check your vitamin b complex levels. B6 and B12 are water-soluble, so it’s really difficult to get too much, and it can actually perk people up - unlike D, which doesn’t really help that much if you’re just a little low. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-d/595842/5 "2011-09-10T20:16:25Z")
Vegemite is a great source of B vitamins. 🙂 Tasty, too. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-d/595842/6 "2011-09-10T20:21:42Z")
Yeah, tried that. No deal. Marmite either. Not a chance. I think I’d rather eat natto, and that stuff looks like cat puke. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-d/595842/7 "2011-09-10T20:36:28Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > 😃 > > I live in SC, USA, so I’m not too worried about my D levels, honestly. I mainly aim for the other direction - trying not to burn my skin off over the summertime. > > I will say, if you’re chronically fatigued, check out your thyroid, and also check your vitamin b complex levels. B6 and B12 are water-soluble, so it’s really difficult to get too much, and it can actually perk people up - unlike D, which doesn’t really help that much if you’re just a little low. B12 was the first thing we fixed. Then potassium. Then iron. Then I tried D on my own (although my nutritional doc later said that I was low and that 40-60% of North Americans are low.) We’ve cut back on the B6 because I have Benign Essential Muscle Tremors and the B6 seems to aggravate it. Thyroid tests did not indicate a problem. Then my current doc tried anti-depressants. No help and I kind of thought that they made things worse. I think I have \*finally \*turned a corner with Magnesium, although I am not yet feeling 100%. I am so very much better than I was a year ago though. I have more good days than bad now. Which is not to say that the other things weren’t needed - they were low too. (In case you’re wondering how a man could be so low on so many things… see long story of why they removed my stomach [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13888965&postcount=3).) ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-d/595842/8 "2011-09-11T02:12:27Z")
To answer the OP - After testing my vitamin D levels, my GP started me at 5000IU/day for a few months. He was very happy with my levels at the next test, and dropped me to 1000IU/day. Turns out that didn’t keep me in the range he wanted, so I’ve been on 2000IU/day for the last few years. (He also has me on a B complex and on fish oil. On my own (but with his knowledge), I take glucosomine.) -D/a ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-d/595842/9 "2011-09-11T02:44:52Z")
I never worried about it, figuring my body would produce enough given exposure to sunlight. But recently got a prenatal blood screen done and I’m low so have to take supplements. Seems the combination of always wearing sunscreen and a job that sees me indoors during daylight hours has seen me missing the recommended 2-3 hours across a week. From what I’ve read food contributes only a small amount of the required Vit D intake. ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-d/595842/10 "2011-09-11T09:34:43Z")
I take vitamin D every day. Along with fish oil, super B complex, and a multi-vitamin. I have no idea how I got here, but that’s what I do. ---
**Author:** ![ethelbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@ethelbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ethelbert)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2011, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-d/595842/11 "2011-09-11T13:42:19Z")
My doctor does the same thing. The general belief seems to be that useful levels of Vitamin D are higher that most people can achieve without supplements, but that was called into question with this [report](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/30/health/30vitamin.html?scp=3&sq=vitamin%20d&st=cse). I continue to take supplements, but I am not sure it helps anything.