This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

I recently had some blood tests done for 25(OH)vitamin D3 and I'm confused about the results. Although I'm taking more vitamin D3 than I was before, it appears that my levels have gone down and I'm not sure why. One obvious response would be to just simply take more vitamin D3, but I would like to try to understand why the levels have dropped despite having increased my intake?

• Prior supp intake
  vitamin D3: 600 IUs
  zinc: 15 mg
  
  Prior test results, Dec 2009
  25(OH)vitamin D3: 109 nmol/L
  zinc: 16.4 µmol/L
  
  
• Curent supp intake
  vitamin D3: 1000 IUs since 9/20/2010
  zinc glycinate: 30 mg since 9/20/2011
  
  Current test results, Dec 2011
  25(OH)vitamin D3: 90.1 nmol/L
  zinc: 12.5 µmol/L

Any thoughts?


Thanks, NHE

heya NHE, has your diet changed in any way over that 2 yr time period? timing of supplemental intakes? any similar kind of regimen-related reason your zinc levels might be going down despite increased supplementation? personally, i'm leaning towards low zinc status resulting in impaired d3 absorption. the low zinc level is the mystery from where i sit!

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

Less UVB exposure in 2011 compared to 2009?

Just part of the aging process meaning more Vit D required to get the same serum level?


Coincidentially when I was taking about 600iu a day plus another 200-300 from diet my level was 96 NMOL. After a 16 month stint in the Middle East plus 7000iu a day it went up to 222 NMOL

Suspect your MS had gotten worse between the vitamin D tests
MS is one of the 6 or so diseases which actually consume vitamin D
http://www.vitamindwiki.com/tiki-index.php?page_id=691
http://www.vitamindwiki.com/tiki-index.php?page_id=889

NHE – You won't be surprised that my thoughts revolve around insulin.

Could this be possible? Your pancreas has been secreting more insulin before your latest vitamin D test in 2011 and this excess insulin, being quite caustic, (dumped into the small intestine) has damaged the villi where the nutrients are absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract (duodenum) and therefore interferes with the amount of vitamin D that reaches your bloodstream.

Maybe direct exposure to sunshine and the subsequent route through the skin would result ultimately in a higher vitamin D level upon testing.

Just thinking…

_________________
My hypothesis: excess insulin (hyperinsulinemia) plays a major role in MS, as developed in my initial post: http://www.thisisms.com/forum/general-discussion-f1/topic1878.html "Insulin – Could This Be the Key?"

Thanks for the responses. In the meantime, while I try to figure this all out, I've bumped up my vtamin D3 intake to 2400 IUs. Hopefully, that will slow the downward slide in my levels.



No, there hasn't been a big change. I don't get much sun and it's been that way for a long time.


NHE