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Vitamin D: More Is Not Better

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Have you been told you need more vitamin D? Healthcare practitioners are increasingly aware of the risks of low vitamin D levels, but many are not aware that high levels of vitamin D can have toxic effects. Read on to learn the risks of over-supplementation, what factors determine your optimal vitamin D level, and the many reasons to get sunlight exposure beyond just vitamin D.

optimal vitamin d levels
Testing your vitamin D levels is essential to prevent vitamin D toxicity. iStock.com/pinkomelet

Vitamin D is critical for health. Virtually every cell in the body has a vitamin D receptor, which, when bound to vitamin D, can influence the expression of more than 200 genes (1, 2). Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in the intestine and maintains calcium and phosphate levels in the blood, protecting against osteoporosis, rickets, and bone fracture (3, 4). It also regulates immune function, cell growth, and neuromuscular function (5, 6).

With the many roles that vitamin D plays in the body, deficiency of this fat-soluble vitamin is a real cause for concern. Vitamin D deficiency has been found to increase the risk of heart attack, cancer, diabetes, asthma, and autoimmune disease (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12). Our modern indoor lifestyle limits our sun exposure, and we can only get a small amount of vitamin D from diet (13). According to the lower boundary of the U.S. lab range of 30 ng/mL, as many as 70 percent of Americans are considered deficient (14, 15).

It’s great that awareness about vitamin D deficiency is increasing, with more doctors than ever testing vitamin D levels. However, like many nutrients, vitamin D follows a U-shaped curve, meaning that both low levels and very high levels are associated with negative health outcomes (16). Unfortunately, few practitioners are aware of the dangers of vitamin D toxicity, and many just test serum vitamin D once and recommend a daily 5,000 or 10,000 IU supplement to their patients.

In this article, I’ll discuss the risks of over-supplementation, why you should get most of your vitamin D from sunlight, and the reasoning behind my current approach to vitamin D.

Risks of Excess Vitamin D Supplementation

Vitamin D status is measured by 25(OH)D in blood. We’ll dive further into vitamin D metabolism later, but for now, just understand that this is the precursor to active vitamin D and is generally considered the most accurate single marker to assess vitamin D status. The U.S. laboratory reference range for adequate 25(OH)D is 30 to 74 ng/mL, while the Vitamin D Council suggests a higher range of 40 to 80 ng/mL, with a target of 50 ng/mL (17).

But a large body of evidence in the medical literature strongly suggests that optimal vitamin D levels might be lower than these figures. There is little to no evidence showing benefit to 25(OH)D levels above 50 ng/mL, and increasing evidence to suggest that levels of this magnitude may cause harm. Consequences of vitamin D toxicity include heart attack, stroke, kidney stones, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, weight loss, and low bone density (18).

Furthermore, in most studies, taking vitamin D supplements does not decrease risk of death, cardiovascular disease, or other conditions. Based on an exhaustive review of over 1,000 studies in 2011, the Institute of Medicine recommends a much more conservative range of 20 to 50 ng/mL (19).

Some research on Israeli lifeguards suggests that, contrary to popular belief, vitamin D toxicity from sunlight alone (in the absence of supplementation) is possible (20). That said, it is  much more difficult to achieve toxic levels through sun exposure alone. Sunlight is the optimal source of vitamin D, and has numerous  benefits above and beyond improving vitamin D status.

Beyond Vitamin D: The Many Benefits of Sunlight

Vitamin D is really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the benefits of sunlight. A recent 20-year study following 29,518 subjects found that those individuals avoiding sun exposure were twice as likely to die from all causes (21). While this study did not assess vitamin D levels, findings from other epidemiological studies suggest that this cannot be accounted for by the increase in vitamin D production alone.

Indeed, humans make several important peptide and hormone “photoproducts” when our skin is exposed to the UVB wavelength of sunlight (22). These include:

  • β-Endorphin: a natural opiate that induces relaxation and increases pain tolerance (23, 24)
  • Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide: a vasodilator that protects against hypertension, vascular inflammation, and oxidative stress (25)
  • Substance P: a neuropeptide that promotes blood flow and regulates the immune system in response to acute stressors (26)
  • Adrenocorticotropic Hormone: a polypeptide hormone that controls cortisol release by the adrenal glands, thus regulating the immune system and inflammation (27)
  • Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone: a polypeptide hormone that reduces appetite, increases libido, and is also responsible for increased skin pigmentation (27)

Exposure to the UVA wavelength of sunlight has also been shown to have benefits, including increasing the release of nitric oxide from storage (28). Nitric oxide is a potent cellular signaling molecule that dilates the blood vessels and thus reduces blood pressure (29).

In addition to the production of photoproducts and release of nitric oxide, sunlight also entrains circadian rhythms. Exposure to bright light during the day activates neurons in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus, which sends signals to the pineal gland that regulate melatonin production. Disruption of circadian rhythm has been associated with mood disorders, cognitive deficits, and metabolic syndrome (30, 31).
Vitamin D Optimal Levels

Optimal Vitamin D Range Depends on Many Factors

So how much do you need? At the first annual IHH-UCSF Paleo Symposium in San Francisco this year, nutritional biochemist Dr. Chris Masterjohn summarized evidence suggesting that optimal vitamin D levels may vary from population to population, despite the fact that there is currently only one reference range used for all patients.

Ethnicity is one major consideration. For example, black people have lower 25(OH)D than white people in the U.S., yet they typically have much higher bone mineral density. Furthermore, non-Caucasians have lower 25(OH)D levels than Caucasians, even at their ancestral latitudes (32). From these and other studies, it has been suggested that people with non-white ancestry may be adapted to a lower optimal 25(OH)D level than people with white ancestry.

Another factor that influences toxicity is nutritional status. The fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K work synergistically, and adequate vitamin A and K may protect against toxic effects of excess vitamin D (33). Sufficient levels of potassium and magnesium have also been suggested to protect against vitamin D toxicity (34). Unfortunately, most people have nutrient deficiencies in these micronutrients in the developed world, making them more susceptible to vitamin D toxicity.

What about optimal vitamin D range from an evolutionary perspective? A study on traditionally living hunter–gatherer populations in East Africa found that the Masai and Hadzabe had average 25(OH)D concentrations of 48 ng/mL and 44 ng/mL, respectively (35). These indigenous populations get a great deal of sun exposure but also have very high intakes of vitamins A and K, suggesting that these levels are probably towards the higher end of the optimal range for most people in the modern world.

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Using Parathyroid Hormone Levels to Individualize Vitamin D Testing

As we saw in the last section, 25(OH)D lab ranges should vary by population, genetics, and nutritional status. In the absence of specific ranges, we need other biological markers that can help to clarify vitamin D status. To find these biological markers, we need to look at how vitamin D is metabolized.

When UVB contacts the skin epidermis, vitamin D is produced from 7-dehydrocholesterol. This vitamin D then travels in the blood to the liver, where it undergoes primary hydroxylation (the addition of a hydroxyl group, consisting of one oxygen and one hydrogen atom) on the 25th carbon atom. The result is 25(OH)D, which is the metabolite most widely used to assess nutritional vitamin D status. This compound circulates in the blood until it undergoes secondary hydroxylation on the first carbon atom in the kidney, resulting in 1,25(OH)2D, the active form of vitamin D (36).

You might be wondering: why don’t we test the active form? While certainly informative, the amount of active vitamin D is not directly reflective of nutritional vitamin D status because the secondary hydroxylation step is tightly regulated by parathyroid hormone (37). When the parathyroid glands sense a drop of blood calcium levels, they secrete parathyroid hormone (PTH). PTH stimulates the formation of active vitamin D, which increases calcium absorption in the small intestine and calcium release from bone in an attempt to restore normal blood calcium levels (38).

High PTH levels can therefore lead to high 1,25(OH)2D, low bone mineral density, increased risk of fractures, and osteoporosis (39).

With a basic understanding of this pathway, we can use PTH, calcium, and active vitamin D3 as markers to give us a more complete picture of someone’s vitamin D status. In his presentation at IHH-UCSF, Dr. Masterjohn suggested that serum PTH levels above 30 pg/mL may be indicative of biological vitamin D deficiency when 25(OH)D levels are borderline low. Conversely, if 25(OH)D levels are borderline low or even slightly below the laboratory reference range (e.g., 25 to 30 ng/mL), but PTH is less than 30 pg/mL, it is unlikely that the patient is vitamin D deficient, and supplementation is not warranted.

Instead of focusing on the 25(OH)D level itself, what we really want to achieve is maximum suppression of PTH levels for optimal calcium homeostasis and bone health. Beyond this level, more vitamin D is not necessarily better.

Conclusion

Based on my assessment of the literature and my own clinical experience, I believe the functional range for 25(OH)D is around 35 to 60 ng/mL. However, I can’t stress enough that there is significant variation among populations. For those with non-white ancestry, the optimal range may be a bit lower. For those with autoimmune disease, the optimal range might be a bit higher (45 to 60 ng/mL) to maximize the immune-regulating benefits of vitamin D. Here are a few recommendations for optimizing your vitamin D level.

  1. Don’t supplement blindly.
    If your 25(OH)D level is:
  • less than 20 ng/mL: you likely need some combination of UV exposure, cod liver oil, and a vitamin D supplement
  • 20 to 35 ng/mL: get your PTH tested. If PTH is adequately suppressed (less than 30 pg/mL), supplementing is probably unnecessary.
  • 35 to 50 ng/mL: continue your current diet and lifestyle for maintaining adequate vitamin D
  • greater than 50 ng/mL: try reducing your vitamin D supplements, and make sure you are getting adequate amounts of the other fat-soluble vitamins to protect against toxicity
  1. Get retested!
    Check your levels after three to four months to see if you have achieved or maintained adequate levels of vitamin D. If not, adjust your diet, lifestyle, or supplements accordingly and check again in another three to four months.
  1. Get sunlight or UV exposure as your primary form of vitamin D.
    Reap the many benefits of sunlight beyond just subcutaneous production of vitamin D, and reduce your chance of achieving toxic levels. Spend about 15 to 30 minutes, or about half the time it takes your skin to turn pink, in direct sunlight. Sunscreens not only block production of vitamin D, but also all of the other beneficial photoproducts produced in the skin in response to UVB.
  2. Mind your micronutrients to protect against toxicity.
    Try cod liver oil as a good source of vitamins A and D and high-vitamin butter oil or pastured butter and ghee for vitamin K. Sweet potatoes, bananas, plantains, and avocados all contain significant amounts of potassium. Consider supplementing with magnesium as it is very difficult to get adequate amounts of this micronutrient from food due to soil depletion.
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205 Comments

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  1. People with some genetic mutation combinations and people with stealth infections can have trouble converting activated D1,25 back to storage D25. For five years my vit D blood test hovered around 12 or 13 as my Lyme literate doctor recommended higher and higher doses of D3. Finally i ended up bedridden, constantly tremoring, with severe light sensitivity, and with many severe neurological symptoms, all of which were blamed on the Lyme disease. I now believe that the symptoms were more due to vit D toxicity than to Lyme. I decided to start on the Marshall Protocol, which required testing both D25 and D1,25 levels. My D25 level was still very low, while my D1,25 was very high. Turns out i had both the stealth infection and genetic risk factors for being unable to metabolize the dangerous active D back into the safer storage D. And since the preferred supp is D3, an active form, i was killing myself with vitamin D toxicity while consistently testing as having low levels. I believe it is unwise and unsafe to supplement with vitamin D without testing both levels of D. Many people with chronic illness have stealth infections as an underlying cause, whether they know it or not. Lyme literate doctors and functional med practitioners are advocating high levels of vit D supplementation to the very people who are at greatest risk to be unable to handle it. The vitamin D 1,25 test is pretty touchy and the sample must be frozen immediately and handled correctly to get accurate results. Quest and LabCorp are the two labs that will run the test. Quest has a good reputation for accuracy in this test, LabCorp does not.

    • This is still just a hypothesis. There is no evidence that really proves that people with high 1,25D3 and low 25OHD3 have infections as underlying cause.

      I am not saying it is not true. I only say, that it needs to be proven. The hypothesis exists at least since 2009 and still there is no proof for it. Recently it shoved up again in the scientific literature (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4160567/), but again without any clear findings.

      Even with some infections it needs to be researched they are really pathologic or if those people are intolerant to be infected. Theold friends hypothesis could explain this.

      It is difficult and I do not understand why there is no research done with all those chronic sick patients who have been found to have these infections….

      • The most important thing to be learned from my experience and the experiences of people like me is that some people, for whatever reason or reasons, cannot convert active D back into storage D, and if they are given high levels of supplementation of D3 for years on end it can cause severe neurological damage and death.

  2. Thank you for including the discussion of PTH levels which are rarely discussed in connection with Vitamin D. I am trying to follow the Coimbra Protocol and have been steadily increasing my supplementation of Vitamin D this year and still have a ways to go before my PTH reaches a lower target level. Could you please do an article or podcast on the Coimbra Protocol?

    The last two times I began losing the ability to walk (due to MS), I took 100,000 IU’s of vitamin D per day and was walking normally again within 1-2 days. After the last onset of weakness, I continued at 50,000 units per day of Vit D3 and have not had another problem walking. I take several precautions at these high levels, such as having eliminated all dairy and sources of added calcium. Even at these high doses, my PTH last month was still well within the “normal” reference range. Perhaps many people don’t need vitamin D supplementation, but it can be an essential component of a treatment plan for people with MS. I would greatly welcome any input about the Coimbra Protocol.

  3. I am glad to hear you talk about too much in your body. People never think of this. I took a pharmaceutical for gout called Progout for 15 years to maintain my uric acid levels and went to a TCM doctor for diabetes. She told me I had metabolic syndrome. After some testing she found it was caused by the gout pill. She said excess is absorbed in the mucous lining. She gradually weaned me off and I have had no issues since and lost 15 kg without doing anything other than acupuncture.

  4. Oops, last time I had my vitamin D tested it was 148…
    the (junior) doctor was impressed but I thought “ouch, too high” and reduced my vitamin D supplementation.

  5. It is important to take K2 and A with Vit D, as well as magnesium, yet be sure to take K2 and A separately.

    • That get’s really confusing when having to worry about taking K and A separately. They can’t be taken at the same meal?

    • It’s difficult to take A and K separately, because they should be taken with vit.D, in Cod liver oil A and D are together, I already take magnesium in the night separately, It will take the whole day just taking pills in different times, oops!

  6. I subscribe to sunlight as a main source of D, but living in the Richmond district of SF where the sun is often MIA (yet another overcast day in August here), what to do?

    Looking over the comments, I see I am not alone in this problem…

  7. Great article, thanks so much.

    I just had a baby and am breastfeeding, and am curious what your thoughts are for Vitamin D supplementation during breastfeeding so that the infant gets sufficient Vitamin D through breastmilk?

    This recent article (http://kellymom.com/nutrition/vitamins/vitamin-d-and-breastfeeding/) suggests lactation mothers should take about 6000 IU daily. I have been taking 4000 IU daily while also getting sun exposure. Would love to hear your thoughts.

    • Watch this video from Dr. Greger at NutritionFacts dot org
      Optimal Dose of Vitamin D Based on Natural Levels
      6 July 2016 – Go to 3:25 minutes and they talk about breastfeeding levels.

  8. I always follow your articles that are well researched and well written. In terms of Vitamin D3 every individual is different in terms of blood serum levels and how much is stored etc. Therefore Vitamin D3 research and physiological facts have to be generalized. I have gleaned my knowledge from doctors who have worked and performed research on this Vitamin for 30 and 40 years such as Dr Holick and Dr Heamey respectively. I also value the research work done by Stephanie Seneff from MIT. As a result of their findings the average human will absorb approximately 2000mg of Vitamin D3 from their diet if we assume the diet is nutritional in nature and they are consuming fatty fish like salmon at least twice per week. Like you indicated in your article between 40-60nm/ml are acceptable D3 levels to derive the benefits from this fat soluble hormone including cancer protection. To maintain these levels you need to absorb at least 5000-6000mg/day. For most individuals 1/2 hour to an hour in the sun will manufacture 10,000 IU.

    Sun exposure is the only sure way of getting the correct form of D3 which is absorbed through the skin and sulphated once it makes contact with the cholesterol. It is important to know that vitamin D3 is only made between the hours of 10am to 3pm, outside of these times the suns rays are UVA dominant ( the longer wavelength ) ,because it is only UVA ( the shorter wavelength ) that allows the skin to manufacture d3. The body actually stores some ‘raw’ vitamin D3 i.e 7-dehydrocholesterol before conversion takes place in the liver and kidneys. As a hormone ( a secosteroid) in the same family as steroid hormones its primary function is to regulate levels of calcium and phosphorous in the blood. However this substance does so much more and some functions that we are not aware of..it is believed to be a transport mechanism for these 2 minerals as well as a regulator but this is unsubstantiated. Stephanie seneff believes that its other components from the suns rays that provide cancer protection as opposed to the manufactured Vitamin D3. She also argues that it is the sulphated D3 that provides the D3 benefits and that supplementation provides less benefits. (It is interesting to note thatthe only food that contains the true sulphated D3 is in raw milk) Having said that the animal kingdom relies on its diet to absorb Vitamin D3 from meat ingestion since they are unable to manufacture D3 through their skin. This begs the question therefore that our bodies are not designed to reap the same benefits from D3 through supplementation but only through the skin whereas its the other way round in the animal kingdom. Contrary to what is stated in the article the bodies inate biofeedback mechanism ( homestatic regulation) shuts down D3 manufacture once it is detected that enough sunlight has been absorbed so it is not possible to overdose on D3 from sun exposure. Dr Heamey also points out that anything below 50,000IU of D3 absorbed through supplements is rarely toxic to the body. Since the body is incredibly intelligent even with D3 supplementation. If a deluge of D3 is absorbed the body will down regulate and reduce the number of VDRs (Vitamin D3 receptors) whereas a shortfall of D3 the body will up regulate and create more VDRs to absorb the D3. Trevor Marshall and Paul Albert on their paper Vitamin D3 an alternative hypothesis suggests that supplementation may actually suppress the immune system.

    Finally, it might be possible that daily sun exposure during the summer months may result in enough stored Vitamin D3 to get through the winter months without supplementing but this needs to be proven. I personally live in Canada and this is what I do in addition to a 3 week holiday in the south for a top up which seems to work. I play tennis about 5 times per week so I get more than enough sun exposure without taking supplements.

    • Good info Eric,

      From what I’ve read as a pharmacist, too much doesn’t seem to be an issue.

      Dunno what I think about your theory on enough to last the long Canadian winter, but then you do admit to your 3 week vacation top-up (lucky!), which I imagine makes a giant difference. I spent 2 years in Prince Rupert which has far below average hours of sun and supplementation definitely made a difference!

      • In our laboratory, the steroid scientists did a survey on the staff and found that 100% of the population was deficient, 50% of them deficient in winter only and the remaining 50% deficient all year round (including me). My levels were 13 in your units and 30nmol/L in ours. Supplementation takes my levels to around 25ng/ml in your units or 65nmol/L in ours. We are at 43 degrees south. I hike most weekends but often wear sunblock in summer. The sun here is fierce enough to have caused me to take days off from work due to being exposed to the sun for an hour and developing wicked sunburn.

        http://www.labnet.health.nz/testmanager/index.php?fuseaction=main.DisplayTest&testid=613

        I have often wondered if pTH levels could be used as a marker to indicate satisfactory Vit. D status.

        • I asked the steroid scientist at work today if his lab often used pTH levels to monitor Vit D levels and he affirmed that they do.

  9. I get extremely dry skin and depression if I take to much vitamin d2 or d3, doesn’t matter if it is natural (from foods like cod liver oil) or syntethic.

    However, from sunlight I don’t get this! So weird!

  10. Does the body’s urine pH level indicate how much vitamin D to take, if any? Carey Reams and A.F. Beddoe recommend taking vitamin D only if the body is acid, low pH.

  11. Life Extension has has been around many year. They seem to be on top of new research. You join their organization for 75 a year. They offer many blood tests, and always have a super sale every spring. You call them and request whatever test you want. They send a requisition form via email you print out and take to your area lab. They send your results by email and you can call them and they will explain the test in detail. You can take the results to your physician also. It makes it easier to stay on top of your health and at a reasonable cost. They also sell high quality supplements. When you join you get their monthly magazine on new research, and good articles.

  12. Dear Chris,
    Thank you so much for posting this and encouraging the “one size does not fit all”! I have had great difficulty finding good information on adequate levels of Vit D, testing for Vit D levels and “Normal” parameters for non-caucasian patients. I have often seen patients who are on 50,000 IU of Vit D prescribed from their MD because their Vit D levels were low. . .and they were on this dose for 12-24 months! They came to see me because they felt awful. . .fatigued, worn out, unmotivated. I felt that they were being poisoned by the excess Vitamin D and amazingly, when they stopped it, (and with my treatments!) they felt better within 2 -3 weeks.
    Thank you again for posting this and I will encourage my patients to also have their PTH tested. If you find more info on better testing, please post. Thank you again.

  13. What about the many people with genetic mutations on the VDR gene? I’ve been told by multiple functional medicine doctors that because of it I’ll need to be on 5000-10000 iu per day in a formula with K2. My levels were 30 before supplementation and 70-90 while supplementing.

  14. Like others above I question the advice to get more sun… although I totally agree with the benefits, having been a sun-worshipper for many years. However… I grew up in Australia, had about 40 years of extreme sun exposure and now I have had many basal cell cancers, and my dermatologist has me a 6-month watch for skin cancer and abnormal moles. I am supposed to avoid all possible sun exposure and wear long clothing/sunscreen at all times. In this case I see no alternative to supplementing with vitamin D

  15. Thank you Dr. Chris. You not only listed what can happen with toxic levels of Vitamin D but you also listed some of the places where Vitamin D is needed. That is extremely important information.

    This report only magnifies the fact that most physicians do not ask more questions when they run across a blood analysis showing too much or too little Vitamin D. They need to ask why. Having too little in the blood may not mean too little is getting absorbed. It may mean that most of what we do produce or take in supplements gets sent to the urine too quickly, either metabolized or unmetabolized. It may mean that we need more than what we are getting now and if our intake/production should be adequate, we need to consider what else is affecting our Vitamin D blood levels, e.g. a toxin, parasite, microbe, or even cancer, or that there is a build-up in the tissues of unmetabolized or metabolized Vitamin D. If the right cells are just not working correctly, e.g. with the presence of toxins, this could happen.

    So the doctor should get spectrograms of non-vascular tissue fluids, as in a hypodermal fluid test. It could show levels of tissue vitamin D, metabolites, and toxic chemical elements, just as an example. You can’t assume that all tissue fluid makes it into lymphatic or blood vessels, because, if there is a serious toxin, damage to capillaries in a part of the body would prevent such transport, so there is a pooling of toxin. You won’t necessarily get edema in that case because there is a general transport of hypodermal (and all subepithelial) fluids up the back and down the front. The Chinese discovered this years ago when they came up with qigong, only they assigned the flow to qi (loosely translated as “energy”) and did not recognize how the flow of interstitial fluids would affect qi.

  16. Watch this video from Dr. Greger at NutritionFacts dot org
    Optimal Dose of Vitamin D Based on Natural Levels
    6 July 2016
    Our natural level should be over 100.
    Sunshine is best but not an option for those too far from the equator.
    No toxicity until at around 200 – 250 nmol/L.
    My nurse practitioner takes 10,000 and encourage me to do the same. My level actual dropped after moving from 5,000 to 10,000 which was caused by a quality issue with a cheaper brand. Lesson learned, quality matters.

  17. Thanks for the great overview of the importance of vitamin D levels in our bodies Chris.

    I was first tested for vitamin D levels about 10 years ago while experiencing poor overall health, my levels were very low (8 ng/mL). Through supplementation and sun exposure I have increased and maintained my levels at 40-60 ng/mL. I also strive for better health by overall better eating habits, abstaining from alcohol, more exercise and improving my gut biome. These changes seemed to improve my overall health to some degree and I felt and tested better.

    But the most amazing transformation in my health came about two years ago when I began raising my vitamin K2 levels. I began a daily regimen of eating foods with high levels of K2 like Brie and gouda cheeses, pastured eggs, fermented foods and most significantly natto (Japanese fermented soybeans). I now consume foods with at least 500- 700 mcg of K2 daily.

    Over the first six months my dental health, smoothness and suppleness of my skin, finger, toenails and hair condition all improved dramatically. The circulation to my feet and legs is much better and the spider and vericose veins in my legs have disappeared. My blood pressure is down about 20 points, mostly over the first six months. Scientific studies have also shown significant heart and bone benefits with k2 supplementation.

    I realize that I may have been severely deficient in K2 so not everyone will see the amazing benefits I did from increased levels of this important vitamin, but then again they may. It is lacking in our modern diet and increasing levels is cheap, easy and even enjoyable!

    • where do you get your natto? I can’t seem to find trustworthy source of no-gmo, organic variety…TIA:-)

  18. Excellent article Chris… I’ve been waiting for someone else to chime in on this. Clinically I see way too much vitamin D supplementation. Sun, cod liver oil, magnesium and active lifestyle!

    • I have an at I’ve lifestyle.O live the sea and spent days on the beach.October last year my vit D level was 30.I was suicidal and the level caused .y blood sugar to rise.I am now on insulin.I take D3 20,000 iu, B2, Coq10, K2, and magnesuim and have never felt so healthy.My last Hbc1a test was almost halved.87 down to 49.The article is rubbish.

  19. My tests showed that I have extremely low levels of vitamin D. My doctor said they were so low that my nervous system is hardly able to funciton at all. But when I started supplementation I got nothing less than crazy. Extremely high levels of anxiety and a huge restlessness – reminded pretty much of when I was hyperthyroid.

    I’ve tried all kinds of supplements, synthetic ones, fermented cod liver oil, vit D from lambs wool, with and without K2 and magnesium, and it’s all the same. The tiniest dose puts me of the edge. Sun exposure however, works fine, but since I live in Scandinavia it’s not a long term solution.

    This really scares me, and I have no idea what to do. All thoughts are welcome.

    • When vitamin d levels increase it is inevitable that our ability to absorb calcium also increases.
      We all need calcium however too much calcium can cause problems.
      Calcium excites nerves and stimulates them and increases tension.
      Magnesium calms and relaxes nerves and is the anti-stress mineral.

      If we ate a truely balanced diet our magnesium intake would match our calcium intake, however, modern refined foods and the easy availability of calcium supplements/fortified foods and the promotion of dairy products means calcium is more readily available than magnesium.
      Magnesium is a natural calcium channel blocker.
      We all need more magnesium to counterbalance excess calcium and Vitamin k2 also keeps calcium in bones and prevents tissue calcification. 100mg magnesium four times a day is regarded as safe by the NHS and 200mcg of vitamin k2 will also help.

  20. Hi! My 14 year old son was just told his Vit D level is low and they want to supplement. Is this a wise thing to do since he is only a teen? He hasn’t been feeling well for several months with vague symptoms (feels like he is looking through 3D glasses, can’t concentrate, ect). I want to make the best decision we can! Any advice is soooo appreciated!