Vitamin D sources

(karen) #21

I was doing some research on whether it’s possible to reduce CAC score, and one doctor claimed to have great results with boosting some vitamins including vitamin D. The interesting note he added was that human breast milk is incredibly rich in nutrition but it does not contain any Vitamin D. His interpretation, which makes sense to me, is that the human body isn’t really designed to get its D from dietary sources, it’s all about the sunshine. His final word on it was that you’d have to hit supplements pretty hard, 8000-10,000 IU a day or more, to get the same benefit as modest sun exposure.

(Sondra Rose) #22

Your doc is incorrect about D3 and breastmilk.

Human breastmilk does contain Vitamin D3, unless the mother is deficient, which is true of many moms.

Also, humans living at high latitudes have always sought out dietary sources of D3 in seafood.

(karen) #23

"How much vitamin D does breastmilk usually contain? Why?

Human breastmilk is a very poor source of vitamin D, usually containing less than 50 IU per quart. This is why the AAP recommends all breastfed infants receive 400 IU per day vitamin D by supplement drops. This IS NOT A DEFECT IN BREAST MILK but a defect in the recommended amount of vitamin D the lactating mom should be taking. If a mom takes 6400 IU per day, she will supply her nursing infant with plenty of vitamin D thru her milk and will not need to give her infant drops.

https://kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/vitamin-d-and-breastfeeding/

I find this really amusing. “The deficit is in the recommended amount of supplementation a nursing mother should take.” Really? So the human body is designed to need 6400 IU of supplemental D to produce appropriate breast milk to nourish a baby? Perhaps I should go back 5000 years in a time machine with an appropriate supply of little pills so we don’t all wink out of existence.

– note, the sarcasm was toward the doctor, not you, SondraRose. I think it sort of supports both our contentions - there is vitamin D in breast milk after all, but in our ancestors, it would have gotten there through sun exposure, not supplements, leading me to think that’s the primary pathway for adequate D levels.

#24

As for reducing atherosclerosis, have a look at the research done on using pomegranate juice (high in antioxidants) for a year. The study participants saw reductions in calcification that exceeded any medication.


There was also a smaller followon 3 year study, although I would imagine that drinking 300mls of pom juice every day for 4 years becomes somewhat tedious.

Another interesting option is Vitamin K2


elsewhere I have seen some youtube vids suggesting that there are ongoing studies to discover whether larger doses of K2 over longer periods will reduce existing atheroslerosis

(Hoteski) #25

Mushrooms are a good source of vitamin d. Cheap and can be mixed with most foods