So I actually have a few questions about this, and I'm very hopeful that there is someone here with a deep understanding of how Vitamin A (retinol/beta carotene) works.
But my main question is, precisely how does Vitamin A affect blood calcium levels? At deficient levels, normal levels, and high levels?
Because as I've always understood it - Vitamin A can actually lower blood calcium, and the more you take of it the more this happens, because it's sending it to the bones. But I just read that the opposite is true, and because high levels of Vitamin A (hypervitaminosis A) overactivates "osteoclasts", which are what cause the breakdown and remodeling of bones, as well as preventing "osteoblasts" which are the what cause the forming of bones, from doing their jobs, than this in turn breaks down bones and prevents more from being made - leaving all that extra calcium and broken down calcium in your blood stream.
But then if this is the case, why do they tell you to take extra calcium if you're taking higher than normal doses of Vitamin A (as an antioxidant for example)? Wouldn't that lead to dangerously high levels of blood calcium (hypercalcemia) as well?
And if Vitamin A in fact is what increases blood levels of calcium (which is clearly important for many functions besides just bones - like mood, heart, nerves, and so on), then what does Vitamin D do that you need to take these two in unison?
I've read many times in the past that you want to maintain a 4:1 ratio of Vitamin A:Vitamin D, and I always thought it was because of my original explanation above - vit D increases calcium, vit A keeps it at a good level - but is it the opposite?.
And if it that is the case, then why is it when I take significant vitamin D with my own illness - I suffer from many of the same effects of too much calcium (mania, excitatory, etc). Whereas if I take vitamin A, it is often the only thing that calm this down... And even seems to cause me to absolutely NEED more calcium. Keep in mind I also balance with magnesium and (occasionally) Vitamin K, which do not help these problems nearly as much as Vitamin A.
And most importantly - why is Hypervitaminosis A a serious problem, like with people who have taken excessive Accutane (myself). I always understood the reason for extreme depression, fatigue, back pain, and generally the entire CAUSE of my illness, while taking it was because of a severe reduced level of blood calcium for my adrenal glands and brain to make use of - but is the opposite actually true?
I'd really appreciate it if anyone can shed some light on this.
EDIT: Is it possible that because Vitamin A influences BOTH the osteoclasts AND osteoblasts, that even in very high doses IT can perhaps be influenced by something else (calcium...vitamin D... magnesium, Vitamin K, boron.. idk any of these) to STILL send calcium to the bones (osteoblasts) and lower blood calcium? Is that even remotely a possibility? Like with enough Vitamin D in your system if you take large doses of Vitamin A that could be considered toxic (not that I'm planning to, but I'm just trying to understand how it works, cus it's extremely relevant to my illness), and have it still work out to lowering blood calcium, instead of increasing it?
But my main question is, precisely how does Vitamin A affect blood calcium levels? At deficient levels, normal levels, and high levels?
Because as I've always understood it - Vitamin A can actually lower blood calcium, and the more you take of it the more this happens, because it's sending it to the bones. But I just read that the opposite is true, and because high levels of Vitamin A (hypervitaminosis A) overactivates "osteoclasts", which are what cause the breakdown and remodeling of bones, as well as preventing "osteoblasts" which are the what cause the forming of bones, from doing their jobs, than this in turn breaks down bones and prevents more from being made - leaving all that extra calcium and broken down calcium in your blood stream.
But then if this is the case, why do they tell you to take extra calcium if you're taking higher than normal doses of Vitamin A (as an antioxidant for example)? Wouldn't that lead to dangerously high levels of blood calcium (hypercalcemia) as well?
And if Vitamin A in fact is what increases blood levels of calcium (which is clearly important for many functions besides just bones - like mood, heart, nerves, and so on), then what does Vitamin D do that you need to take these two in unison?
I've read many times in the past that you want to maintain a 4:1 ratio of Vitamin A:Vitamin D, and I always thought it was because of my original explanation above - vit D increases calcium, vit A keeps it at a good level - but is it the opposite?.
And if it that is the case, then why is it when I take significant vitamin D with my own illness - I suffer from many of the same effects of too much calcium (mania, excitatory, etc). Whereas if I take vitamin A, it is often the only thing that calm this down... And even seems to cause me to absolutely NEED more calcium. Keep in mind I also balance with magnesium and (occasionally) Vitamin K, which do not help these problems nearly as much as Vitamin A.
And most importantly - why is Hypervitaminosis A a serious problem, like with people who have taken excessive Accutane (myself). I always understood the reason for extreme depression, fatigue, back pain, and generally the entire CAUSE of my illness, while taking it was because of a severe reduced level of blood calcium for my adrenal glands and brain to make use of - but is the opposite actually true?
I'd really appreciate it if anyone can shed some light on this.
EDIT: Is it possible that because Vitamin A influences BOTH the osteoclasts AND osteoblasts, that even in very high doses IT can perhaps be influenced by something else (calcium...vitamin D... magnesium, Vitamin K, boron.. idk any of these) to STILL send calcium to the bones (osteoblasts) and lower blood calcium? Is that even remotely a possibility? Like with enough Vitamin D in your system if you take large doses of Vitamin A that could be considered toxic (not that I'm planning to, but I'm just trying to understand how it works, cus it's extremely relevant to my illness), and have it still work out to lowering blood calcium, instead of increasing it?
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