Vitamin D: “You Are What You Absorb!”

“You are what you absorb!” If you are eating foods rich in Vitamin D and are not absorbing it, you are only as good as what you are able to absorb! (Think Celiac, think Leaky Gut or Gluten Intolerance/Sensitivity). Vitamin D plays a big role in our immune system, our hearts, bone strength and even cancer.  Do you know your levels? If not, you should ask your doctor to order the blood work the next time you are in for a check up.

I will go over why we have Vitamin D Deficiencies, Symptoms of Deficiencies, How Much Vit D is enough and How Much is Too Much; or toxic. (Recently, my doctor had to reduce my Rx of Vit D) You will see that it really depends on who is looking at your levels! I use myself as an example and also went to several different sources for this blog post and I think you will find the information very interesting.

First, I will be giving you information that I get from Amy Myers, MD.  This is the most thorough information I have seen on Vitamin D and it is easy to read and understand, even if you don’t have the letters “MD” after your name.  Everyone should get their levels checked because 36% of healthy adolescents and 57% of adults in the US have a deficiency. According to Dr Myers, they believe those numbers may be even higher because the previous recommended levels of vitamin D were too low!

Dr Myers says; “The widespread deficiency of Vitamin D is concerning because it plays an important role in many areas of our health. It contributes to bone strength, heart health, and cancer prevention. And, it plays a hugely important role in your immune system and can be a determining factor in whether or not you develop an autoimmune disease.”

There are 3 reasons this occurs:

1. We don’t get enough sun exposure, we do we put sunscreen on & reduce it by 90%

2. Our diets lack vitamin D (salmon, fish liver oil, organ meats, beef liver, egg yolk)

3. Fat Malabsorption

The two foods most fortified with Vitamin D are breakfast cereals and milk.  Mmmmm, I am screwed because cereals contain gluten and milk is; well, it is milk and I can’t have that!

Fat Malabsorption: One thing that surprised me is that she talked about fat malabsorption. Vitamin D is fat soluable. So, that means that your gut will have to absorb fat in order to absorb Vitamin D. (Could this be why my cholesterol is low; usually between 118-127?)

–Vitamin D also needs Vitamin K because it works in tandem with Vitamin D and makes sure the Vitamin D ends up in our bones and not in our arteries.  She also says to make sure we have Vitamin E and Vitamin A because they work with Vitamin D as well.

I know I have fat malabsorption. This, has always been a problem for me and it also contributed to a lot of clogged toilets prior to my celiac diagnosis. If I eat anything fatty, I see it in the toilet, it looks like a bunch of oily and undigested fat. (I ate some wings on the Sunday of Memorial Weekend and it is a good thing we were at home on Memorial Day!)

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning your gut has to be able to absorb dietary fat in order to absorb Vitamin D. The saying goes “you are what you eat,” but in reality, Dr Myers says that “you are what you absorb”.  She goes on to say; “if you have a leaky gut because of inflammatory foods such as gluten, infections, or toxins, your ability to absorb nutrients and vitamins may be severely compromised”.

I had to beg a doctor to check my levels and when they were finally checked, my results were  2 and a 7;  I was given an Rx . I was definitely feeling better, my neuropathy went away and on my last check up, I was at 50 thanks to 50,000 IU Rx supplementation. But I was having some complications that my Endocrinologist was not taking into consideration. (more on this later)

However, Dr Myers suggest we aim for between 60-90 ng/ml. (I address the different recommended levels in a chart below) For more information from Dr Amy Myers on Vitamin D and it’s Impact on your Immune System (Protective Immunity and it’s role in Autoimmune Disease and How to Increase your Vitamin D with Vitamin K) Click Here for info from Dr Amy Myers

Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency?

Vit D Deficiency is common in people with untreated Celiac Disease but you don’t have to be a Celiac to have a Vitamin D deficiency; which effects digestive, glandular, immune, integumentary, muscular, nervous and skeletal systems via:

Impaired bone mineralization, muscle weakness, alterations in maintenance of calcium and phosphorous hemeostasis, metabolic functions, male reproduction and is implicated in psoriasis.  Also, Bone Pain, Easy Fractures, osteopenia/osteoporosis, (bone thinning), osteomalacia (bone softening), in adults, affecting the spine with vertical shortening of the vertabrae, the pelvis with flattening and narrowing of the pelvic outlet and the lower extremities with bowing in the long bones, muscle weakness, defective coordination for walking, osteomalacic myopathy and spasm, psoriasis, decreased male fertility.

In young children, development of rickets with bone bending of the weak shaft and delayed walking in 1-4 year olds. In older children walking is painful with development of bow-legs and knock-knees.

*These symptoms are often seen as a result of  malabsorption in Celiac Disease. Celiac related deficiency responds to the gluten free diet and supplementation produces rapid resolution of symptoms.  Source: Recognizing Celiac Disease by Cleo J. Libonati, RN, BSN

HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH VITAMIN D?

There are different recommended levels depending on who is looking at your results as seen in the chart below. My endocrinologist was fine with me at 50 ng/ml; see the chart below. However, my Internist (my new General Practitioner) thinks that is too high. (this will all make sense at the end of this) I did some checking and all sources say something different.  Below is what I found:

NIH (National Institute of Health) also has some different info: 

nmol/L**	ng/mL*	Health status
<30	<12	Associated with vitamin D deficiency, leading to rickets in infants and children and osteomalacia in adults
30 to <50	12 to <20	Generally considered inadequate for bone and overall health in healthy individuals
≥50	≥20	Generally considered adequate for bone and overall health in healthy individuals
>125	>50	Emerging evidence links potential adverse effects to such high levels, particularly >150 nmol/L (>60 ng/mL)

* Serum concentrations of 25(OH)D are reported in both nanomoles
per liter (nmol/L) and nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL).
** 1 nmol/L = 0.4 ng/mL

Reference Intakes

Intake reference values for vitamin D and other nutrients are provided in the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) developed by the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) at the Institute of Medicine of The National Academies (formerly National Academy of Sciences) [1]. DRI is the general term for a set of reference values used to plan and assess nutrient intakes of healthy people. These values, which vary by age and gender, include:

• Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA): average daily level of intake sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of nearly all (97%–98%) healthy people.
• Adequate Intake (AI): established when evidence is insufficient to develop an RDA and is set at a level assumed to ensure nutritional adequacy.
• Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL): maximum daily intake unlikely to cause adverse health effects [1].

The FNB established an RDA for vitamin D representing a daily intake that is sufficient to maintain bone health and normal calcium metabolism in healthy people. RDAs for vitamin D are listed in both International Units (IUs) and micrograms (mcg); the biological activity of 40 IU is equal to 1 mcg (Table 2). Even though sunlight may be a major source of vitamin D for some, the vitamin D RDAs are set on the basis of minimal sun exposure [1].

Table 2: Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for Vitamin D [1]

Age	Male	Female	Pregnancy	Lactation
0–12 months*	400 IU (10 mcg)	400 IU (10 mcg)
1–13 years	600 IU (15 mcg)	600 IU (15 mcg)
14–18 years	600 IU (15 mcg)	600 IU (15 mcg)	600 IU (15 mcg)	600 IU (15 mcg)
19–50 years	600 IU (15 mcg)	600 IU (15 mcg)	600 IU (15 mcg)	600 IU (15 mcg)
51–70 years	600 IU (15 mcg)	600 IU (15 mcg)
>70 years	800 IU (20 mcg)	800 IU (20 mcg)

* Adequate Intake (AI) Click Here to go to NIH

Symptoms of Too Much Vitamin D (toxicity):

According to the Mayo Clinic, the main consequence of vitamin D toxicity is “a buildup of calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia), which can cause poor appetite, nausea and vomiting. Weakness, frequent urination and kidney problems also may occur. Although vitamin D toxicity is uncommon even among people who take supplements, you may be at greater risk if you have health problems, such as liver or kidney conditions, or if you take thiazide-type diuretics. As always, talk to your doctor before taking vitamin and mineral supplements.”  Mayo Clinic Too Much D

So, who do you listen to? Well you always listen to your doctor, but again, I think you need to listen to your body (and so does your doctor). On the mega Rx dose of Vitamin D, I was definitely having increased urination, more frequent kidney stones and I also take two thiazide-type diuretics.  So, my GP (internist) looked at my numbers and the other factors adversely  affecting my health and reduced my dosage. We will do blood work in 6 weeks to see what the result is, but I have not had any major stones. (FYI: I recently changed my GP to an Internist who looks at the whole picture and how everything affects my overall health. Not only does she understand Celiac Disease, she and her daughter have Celiac Disease and I believe this is the best decision that I have made for my health!)

I hope you found this information helpful.

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