Vitamin D Deficiency

[glutengal]

My daughter has been gluten free for a year and a half now. She tested negative for celiac by blood and biopsy. Being gluten free has helped tremendously with the headache and stomach pains however, she was diagnosed 3 months ago with eosinophilic esophagitis. Her GI has said to eliminate the eight major food allergens (gluten/wheat,dairy, soy, eggs, peanuts/tree nuts, fish/shellfish) and has put her on Flovent. My questions is how does she get the proper amount of Vitamin D in her diet when she can't eat eggs, dairy or fish? I have asked the Dr. but don't get any answer but supplements and am not sure how much to even give her. Are supplements the only option? She is 26 years old. She is hypothyroid and has a history of brain tumor.

[eeyore]

Supplements do work (I know because I was extremely deficient in Vitamin D and now I'm in the lower-normal range), but spending time in the sunshine helps produce Vitamin D as well. One problem you may have is that most if not all Vitamin D supplements are made from fish oil, so I think that her best option is spending time outside. Hope this helps!

[BRUMI1968]

Hi. Most vitamin D does not come from food for us, it comes from the sun. I don't know where you live but I assume it's in the northern hemisphere, which means we're getting out of the sunny season.

Supplements are practically mandatory for everyone in North America - and D2 is the supplement you want, NOT D3. It is also important to have Vit. A to absorb properly the Vit. D.

When sunshine comes back, don't use sunscreen for at least part of the day, and get at least enough sun to get your skin barely pink. Once your skin is pink, you are no longer absorbing the D.

D is so important - they actually say it is not really a vitamin but a hormone. Anyway, I would definitely supplement with Vitamin D2. Check out mercola.com about Vitamin D. He has a lot to say about it. You certainly don't have to buy his Vitamin D supplement, but there's lots of good info on Vitamin D on his site.

Good luck.

[glutengal]

Hi. Most vitamin D does not come from food for us, it comes from the sun. I don't know where you live but I assume it's in the northern hemisphere, which means we're getting out of the sunny season.

Supplements are practically mandatory for everyone in North America - and D2 is the supplement you want, NOT D3. It is also important to have Vit. A to absorb properly the Vit. D.

When sunshine comes back, don't use sunscreen for at least part of the day, and get at least enough sun to get your skin barely pink. Once your skin is pink, you are no longer absorbing the D.

D is so important - they actually say it is not really a vitamin but a hormone. Anyway, I would definitely supplement with Vitamin D2. Check out mercola.com about Vitamin D. He has a lot to say about it. You certainly don't have to buy his Vitamin D supplement, but there's lots of good info on Vitamin D on his site.

Good luck.

Why is it vitamin d2 and not d3. Both of my parents are deficient and were told by their doctor to supplement with d3. What is the difference?

[ravenwoodglass]

Supplements are practically mandatory for everyone in North America - and D2 is the supplement you want, NOT D3. It is also important to have Vit. A to absorb properly the Vit. D.

Good luck.

D2 is made in a lab while D3 is a natural form often derived from fish oil. I have to respectfully disagree with 'Dr Mercola' that D2 is preferred. Perhaps it is his preference because that is the form he sells. D3 is the one that is most advised for us to take.

[ravenwoodglass]

Why is it vitamin d2 and not d3. Both of my parents are deficient and were told by their doctor to supplement with d3. What is the difference?

IMHO your doctor was giving you the right advice. Go with the natural D3 he advised rather than the lab made D2.

[RiceGuy]

There's research showing that exposing certain types of mushrooms to just seconds of UV light magnifies the amount of vitamin D quite a lot. I agree that D3 is the one most often recommended. It does not have to come from fish however. Some use sheep's lanolin.

Here's a video on the subject of vitamin D, which I think has a lot of good info, including which test to ask for, as not all vitamin D deficiency tests are accurate:

Open Original Shared Link

[BRUMI1968]

IMHO your doctor was giving you the right advice. Go with the natural D3 he advised rather than the lab made D2.

OH MY GOSH I'M SO SORRY ..DYSLEXIA ATTACK. It is D3 that is the natural one that is the better one to take. I'm so sorry. That is also the one Dr. Mercola talks about - and why you should choose it over D2.

Good luck.

[ravenwoodglass]

OH MY GOSH I'M SO SORRY ..DYSLEXIA ATTACK. It is D3 that is the natural one that is the better one to take. I'm so sorry. That is also the one Dr. Mercola talks about - and why you should choose it over D2.

Good luck.

I get those also, I call them brain farts.

[glutengal]

I get those also, I call them brain farts.

Thanks so much to all of you who replied. Is all D3 supplements derived from fish oil as my DD cannot have fish. thought the one i bought her at whole foods said no fish ingredients. She does not live at home with me so I will have to check the bottle next time I go see her. She cannot read so I can't have her check it. Hope the one I bought is ok.

[RiceGuy]

There are vegetarian forms of D3. NOW Foods makes some, and there are a few others too, in varying potencies. Some combined with vitamin K2 or other nutrients as well.

[missy'smom]

I didn't read the whole thread from the beginning but Carlson's makes a D3 supplement that is liquid drops. No fish. It is extracted from lanolin-sheep skin/wool. I couldn't do fish so called the manufacturer to verify. It is available in 1,000 or 2,000 units per drop so you can adjust depending on your needs. I've also used Healthy Origins D3 in a 2,400 IU softgel that is derived from olive oil.

[missy'smom]

OK, I read back to the beginning. I was concerned about D so got tested through my primary care Doc. I am dairy-free due to allergy and mostly egg-free, very rarely get any egg and am free of most sources of D. I do eat salmon but have had to avoid many other fish for a year now. Anyway, labs came back with good circulating D but stores getting low so Doc recommended 2,000 IU D3. I had been supplementing with that much through the winter but stopped with warm weather and got 15 min unprotected sun per day as often as I could. Got labs done mid-summer. Hope that helps with perspective.

[glutengal]

I didn't read the whole thread from the beginning but Carlson's makes a D3 supplement that is liquid drops. No fish. It is extracted from lanolin-sheep skin/wool. I couldn't do fish so called the manufacturer to verify. It is available in 1,000 or 2,000 units per drop so you can adjust depending on your needs. I've also used Healthy Origins D3 in a 2,400 IU softgel that is derived from olive oil.

Thank you I will check into these.