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Vitamin D3 as an anti-viral?

Messages
7
Location
California
I have been taking 10,000 units a day of vitamin D3 for the past ten years, which has eliminated my getting colds and flu. But sometimes when I feel like I am coming down with a cold or flu, I take 50,000 units (usually in the evening) and the next morning I feel fine. Since coming down with CFS, I have been wondering about using an extended course of 50,000 units a day as an anti-viral instead of the usual prescription anti-virals.

Has anyone who has been diagnosed with a viral infection tried this, how much did you take, and what has been the result?
 

Jill

Senior Member
Messages
209
Location
Auckland, NZ
Maybe d3 is why I feel better in summer . We certainly need way more than we get in winter . I enjoyed Ivor Cummins on YouTube on the topic . The v low rda's are shocking . It's such an important hormone ( not a vitamin at all ) . It is involved in cholesterol synthethis and many othe vital cell functions
 

pamojja

Senior Member
Messages
2,384
Location
Austria
Since coming down with CFS, I have been wondering about using an extended course of 50,000 units a day as an anti-viral instead of the usual prescription anti-virals.

If you take that much vitamin D3 you have to regularly test serum calcium and 25(OH)D. Also get tested for PTH (Parathyroid hormone). Vitamin Ds toxic effects are mediated by taking it together with ample Magnesium, preformed vitamin A and K2.

(http://blog.cholesterol-and-health.com/2009/04/)
 

eric_gladiator

Senior Member
Messages
210
I've always heard good things about d3 that even work for our joints, but my doctor suggests not taking it too much that can be harmful. I take 20,000 a day
 

rodgergrummidge

Senior Member
Messages
124
I have been taking 10,000 units a day of vitamin D3 for the past ten years, which has eliminated my getting colds and flu. But sometimes when I feel like I am coming down with a cold or flu, I take 50,000 units (usually in the evening) and the next morning I feel fine. Since coming down with CFS, I have been wondering about using an extended course of 50,000 units a day as an anti-viral instead of the usual prescription anti-virals.

Has anyone who has been diagnosed with a viral infection tried this, how much did you take, and what has been the result?

I've always heard good things about d3 that even work for our joints, but my doctor suggests not taking it too much that can be harmful. I take 20,000 a day

Vitamin D is toxic at high doses. Are you really taking 10,000U+ a day? Perhaps it was a typo?

Many water-soluble vitamins (eg Vit C) can be taken at high doses fairly safely and the excess is eliminated relatively harmlessly in the urine. However, fat-soluble vitamins such as Vitamin D accumulate in the body and so are associated with significant toxicities. While Vitamin D is called a vitamin, it functions more like a hormone with diverse physiological effects in many tissues. Thus, mega-dosing with vitamin D is similar in many respects to taking large amounts of a hormone and can lead to significant toxicities.

The recommended daily intake of Vitamin D varies depending on the agency, but usually its around 600 IU/day. A doctor may prescribe higher amounts in cases of vitamin D deficiency. However in such cases the doc would normally monitor levels in the blood to avoid prolonged 'over-dosing'. Toxicities from 10000U+ per day of Vitamin D include hypercalcemia that can lead to serious health issues including the calcification of arteries and kidney tubules. Very high vitamin D intakes of 10000U+ per day are also associated with the loss of bone density which can lead to osteoporosis and bone fractures. Such Vitamin D toxicities usually only arise with prolonged mega-dosing and so they are are generally quite rare. However, prolonged dosing of 10000U+ per day in some cases could lead to toxicities which may only become apparent once a serious health event has occurred (eg. a bone fracture, kidney stone or cardiovascular event). Because vitamin D accumulates to high levels in tissues, returning to normal 'safe' vitamin D levels can take some time after discontinuing the supplement.

Perhaps confirm with your doc or pharmacist which doses of Vit D you might require. Any doubts, vit D levels can easily be measured in the blood.

Rodger
 

pamojja

Senior Member
Messages
2,384
Location
Austria
Sun not supplements

If you don't aim at therapeutic 25(OH)D serum levels, then yes. I only once discontinued D3 supplements because I went for 6 weeks at a tropical beach, where I stayed 2 times about 2 hours everyday in the sun. Came back and my 25(OH)D meassured 27 ng/ml only. At home in Central Europe I don't get as much sun during a whole year as during these 6 weeks on the beach. Therefore for me it's clearly: Sun and supplements.

However, when aiming at therapeutic levels always also check them regularly. Illness can deplete it fast, conversely it can build up over time and less supplementation might be needed at one point for equal levels.
 

Learner1

Senior Member
Messages
6,305
Location
Pacific Northwest
Vitamin D is toxic at high doses. Are you really taking 10,000U+ a day? Perhaps it was a typo?

Many water-soluble vitamins (eg Vit C) can be taken at high doses fairly safely and the excess is eliminated relatively harmlessly in the urine. However, fat-soluble vitamins such as Vitamin D accumulate in the body and so are associated with significant toxicities. While Vitamin D is called a vitamin, it functions more like a hormone with diverse physiological effects in many tissues. Thus, mega-dosing with vitamin D is similar in many respects to taking large amounts of a hormone and can lead to significant toxicities.

The recommended daily intake of Vitamin D varies depending on the agency, but usually its around 600 IU/day. A doctor may prescribe higher amounts in cases of vitamin D deficiency. However in such cases the doc would normally monitor levels in the blood to avoid prolonged 'over-dosing'. Toxicities from 10000U+ per day of Vitamin D include hypercalcemia that can lead to serious health issues including the calcification of arteries and kidney tubules. Very high vitamin D intakes of 10000U+ per day are also associated with the loss of bone density which can lead to osteoporosis and bone fractures. Such Vitamin D toxicities usually only arise with prolonged mega-dosing and so they are are generally quite rare. However, prolonged dosing of 10000U+ per day in some cases could lead to toxicities which may only become apparent once a serious health event has occurred (eg. a bone fracture, kidney stone or cardiovascular event). Because vitamin D accumulates to high levels in tissues, returning to normal 'safe' vitamin D levels can take some time after discontinuing the supplement.

Perhaps confirm with your doc or pharmacist which doses of Vit D you might require. Any doubts, vit D levels can easily be measured in the blood.

Rodger
@rodgergrummidge it is always best to monitor vitamin D levels. Mine has repeatedly dropped to unacceptable levels if I'm NOT taking 10,000IUs a day. This seems to be due to my genetics. (My mother's shin bones have a pronounced curve due to rickets - the Cleveland Clinic put her on 50,000IUs.)

Toxicity can be an issue for some folks, but for the most part 600IUs is laughably inadequate. I've made a point of asking people what their vitamin D levels are around here in Seattle, and no one's is over 25 without supplementation of at least 4,000IUs a day.
 

rodgergrummidge

Senior Member
Messages
124
@rodgergrummidge it is always best to monitor vitamin D levels. Mine has repeatedly dropped to unacceptable levels if I'm NOT taking 10,000IUs a day. This seems to be due to my genetics. (My mother's shin bones have a pronounced curve due to rickets - the Cleveland Clinic put her on 50,000IUs.)

T.
Its great you are closely monitoring your Vitamin D @Learner1 It sounds like your case (with a genetic issue in your family) would be the exception and may require 10000IU/day to maintain >30ng/ml 25(OH)D in your blood. But for most, the long-term dosage of +10000IU/day could lead to serious health problems.

Below is a summary from a New England Journal of Med article on treating Vitamin D deficiencies (N Engl J Med. 2007;357(3):266–281).

Many experts would recommend correcting vitamin D deficiency with 50,000 IU capsule of vitamin D2 weekly for 8 weeks, followed by either 50,000 IU of vitamin D2 every 2 to 4 weeks or by 1000 IU to 2000 IU of vitamin D3 daily. The dose required to achieve and maintain >30ng/ml of 25(OH)D depends on the starting level, with roughly 100 IU of additional daily oral vitamin D3 required to raise the serum 25(OH)D level by 1ng/ml. Keep in mind that it takes approximately 3 months to achieve a steady state once supplementation is started, so 25(OH)D should be closely monitored and adjusted every 3 months until serum levels enter the normal range. Individual responses can vary and known risk factors for deficiency should be taken into account.
 

Learner1

Senior Member
Messages
6,305
Location
Pacific Northwest
From
https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/how-much-vitamin-d-is-needed-to-achieve-optimal-levels/

A heated debate surrounds the recommended vitamin D dosage and levels. While the Vitamin D Council recommends that adults take 5000 IU of vitamin D3 daily, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) established 4000 IU daily as the tolerable upper level of intake, meaning the highest level unlikely to cause harm in nearly all adults. On the other hand, the Endocrine Society Practice Guidelines state that up to 10,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily is safe for most adults. These conflicting recommendations can leave the public confused.

So, what’s the truth? How much vitamin D do our bodies need? How much vitamin D is too much? Researchers conducted a study in search of the answers.

A total of 3,882 participants were included in the study. The average age of the participants was 60 years old. Less than 1% of the participants were considered underweight, 35.5% had a normal BMI, 37.0% were overweight and 27.5% were obese.

At the beginning of the study, 55% of the participants reported taking vitamin D. The average dose of vitamin D increased from 2,106 IU daily at the beginning of the study to 6,767 IU daily about one year later. The average vitamin D levels increased from 34.8 ng/ml to 50.4 ng/ml during this time (p < 0.001).

The researchers wanted to determine the dosage needed to achieve healthy vitamin D levels, as defined by levels of 40 ng/ml or higher. They also wanted to determine the incidence of side effects, including hypercalcemia. Here is what the researchers found:

Change in vitamin D levels were influenced by vitamin D dosage, body mass index (BMI) and vitamin D levels at the beginning of the study.
Participants who were vitamin D deficient (< 20 ng/ml) at baseline experienced greater increases in vitamin D levels than those with insufficient or sufficient vitamin D levels at baseline.
Participants without vitamin D deficiency at baseline experienced a blunted response to the same vitamin D dose compared to someone with vitamin D deficiency.
Response to vitamin D supplementation was less with increasing BMI. In other words, obese individuals required the greatest supplementation to achieve sufficient levels, and normal weight or underweight required the least supplementation to achieve sufficient levels.
Vitamin D3 intakes of at least 6,000 IU daily were required for those with a normal BMI to achieve a vitamin D status above 40 ng/ml.
Overweight participants required vitamin D3 intakes of at least 7,000 IU daily to achieve a vitamin D status above 40 ng/ml.
Obese participants required vitamin D3 intakes of at least 8,000 IU daily to achieve a vitamin D status above 40 ng/ml.
Average calcium levels did not differ from the beginning of the study to the end of the study.
A subgroup of participants (285) did not experience significant increases in vitamin D status despite reporting taking substantial intakes of vitamin D (> 4,000 IU daily). The researchers determined that gastrointestinal issues were likely attributed to the malabsorption but non-compliance undoubtedly played a role as well. (For example, the rate of non-compliance with antihypertensive medication is about 30%.)
Twenty new cases of hypercalcemia occurred between the beginning of the study and the end. Those with vitamin D levels below 40 ng/ml were more likely to experience hypercalcemia than those with vitamin D levels of 40 ng/ml or higher.
The researchers were also interested in whether vitamin D supplementation led to an increased incidence of hypercalciuria, high calcium levels in the urine. It is thought that excessively high vitamin D levels may cause hypercalciuria. However, the researchers found that the incidence of hypercalciuria actually declined after vitamin D supplementation, starting with a total of 67 hypercalciuric cases but at follow-up 67% were no longer hypercalciuric.

Furthermore, it’s important to point out that none of the participants developed any evidence for clinical vitamin D toxicity, which consists of hypercalcemia and 25(OH)D> 200 ng/ml, fatigue, anorexia, abdominal pain, frequent urination, irritability, excessive thirst, nausea and sometimes vomiting.

Biochemical vitamin D toxicity consists of 25(OH)D >200 ng/ml, hypercalcemia and a suppressed PTH level with no clinical symptoms, but none of the participants had that either.

Because most labs identify the normal range for 25(OH)D at 30-100 ng/ml, some physicians believe any 25(OH)D above 100 ng/ml is toxicity. It is not; it is usually just hypervitaminosis D.

The researchers concluded,

“Doses of vitamin D in excess of 6,000 IU/d were required to achieve serum 25(OH)D concentrations above 100 nmol/L [40 ng/ml], especially in individuals who were overweight or obese without any evidence of toxicity.”
One thing that the authors didn’t mention is the role genetics may play in this. For example, the gene that codes for the 25-hydroxylase has a genetically determined variation in its transcription. Some people have more 25-hydroxylase than others and thus will obtain higher 25(OH)D levels than others.

While the authors did not stress it, these subjects had repeated vitamin D levels drawn. Given these findings, keeping the genetics in mind, the only way to be sure you are > 40 ng/ml is to get a 25(OH)D test.

Citation

Tovey, A. & Cannell, JJ. How much vitamin D is needed to achieve optimal levels? The Vitamin D Council Blog & Newsletter, May 10, 2017.

Source

Kimball, S. Mirhosseini, N. & Holick, M. Evaluation of vitamin D3 intakes up to 15,000 international units/day and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations up to 300 nmol/L on calcium metabolism in a community setting. Dermato-Endocrinology, 2017