What's the Optimal Level of Vitamin D (50-60 ng) - Patrick Jan 2025

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What's the Optimal Level of Vitamin D?

YouTube 7 minutes

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AI Summary of Video

• (00:00) The conversation opens by contrasting vitamin D from sunlight versus supplementation. They highlight that sunlight provides other benefits (e.g., nitric oxide production, physical activity) and can be a confounder when comparing it to supplements.
• (01:06) At the molecular level, once vitamin D is converted to its active form (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D), it acts the same way whether it was produced from sunlight or obtained through supplements.
• (01:35) The body naturally regulates vitamin D production from sun exposure, preventing toxicity by stopping production once a certain threshold is reached—unlike with high-dose supplements.
• (02:06) Discussion about naturally high vitamin D levels: some people working outdoors (e.g., in tropical regions) can achieve high levels, but factors like skin pigmentation also influence how much vitamin D is produced.
• (02:37) Many studies suggest that levels up to 80 ng/mL may still be beneficial, lowering risks such as all-cause mortality. However, extremely high doses taken over long periods might lead to calcium-phosphorus issues.
• (03:36) They critique large vitamin D trials for using uniform dosages rather than individualizing to achieve specific blood levels. This design flaw may mask potential benefits of higher vitamin D targets (e.g., 60–80 ng/mL).
• (04:39) A major limitation in vitamin D research is that many trials only measure serum vitamin D levels in a small percentage of participants, making it difficult to draw strong conclusions.
• (05:06) Genetic differences (SNPs) affect how individuals respond to vitamin D supplementation; some people need higher doses to reach the same blood levels. Many large trials don’t account for these genetic factors.
• (05:34–06:33) The conversation touches on personal optimization (e.g., aiming for 50–60 vs. 80 ng/mL), potential interactions with hormones like estrogen, and the need for longer-term data on how vitamin D (and hormone therapy) affect health outcomes over time.

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13+ VitaminDWiki pages have both VITAMIN AND PATRICK in the title

The list is automatically updated

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Introduction to Is 50 ng of vitamin D too high, just right, or not enough

• A few governments say 10 ng is OK
• Some governments say 20 ng is OK
• Some governments say 30 ng is OK
• Most experts say 40 ng is good
• Some experts say 50 ng is much better for disease prevention
• A few people think that > 80 ng is needed to deal with possible vitamin D restrictions due to genes
  • One doctor found that >80 ng was the right level for 2,000 patients in his clinic
  • Health problems that run in families are often associated with low vitamin D
• Some experts say 50 ng is too much
• Some concern that >40 ng may be too much if taking some fixed chemotherapy or not adjust cofactors
• Some experts feel 50 ng is not enough to TREAT some diseases
• Consensus: 0 ng is bad and 30 ng is good/ok

Notional Graph of Expert Opinions of levels with Vitamin D MONOTHERAPY

Note: Monotherapy just increases vitamin D levels, and rarely adjusts the cofactor intake (Ca, Mg, Vitamin K2, Omega-3, etc)

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40-150 ng of Vitamin D needed to treat some health problems

Vitamin D	Treats
150 ng	Multiple Sclerosis *
80 ng	Cluster Headache * Reduced office visits by 4X *
70 ng	Sleep *
60 ng	Breast Cancer death reduced 60% Preeclampsia RCT
50 ng	COVID-19 T1 Diabetes Fertility Psoriasis Infections Review Infection after surgery
40 ng	Breast Cancer 65% lower risk Depression ACL recovery Hypertension Asthma?
30 ng	Rickets

* Evolution of experiments with patients, often also need co-factors

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Some categories of people are at High Risk of vitamin D deficiency

67 items in High Risk Category

Those at high-risk of being Vitamin D deficient will require about 1.5X more vitamin D to restore their levels
Those who are at risk due to being obese need about 2X more vitamin D to restore their levels

see also
  Overview Dark Skin
  Overview Seniors
  Overview Obesity
  Overview Pregnancy
  Overview Deficiency
   Shut-in category which has 39 items
   Middle East category which has 154 items

22 VitaminDWiki pages had CLOTH in the title as of July 2022
16+ VitaminDWiki pages with SHIFTWORK etc in the title
10 Groups Are More Prone To Vitamin D Deficiency - 2017 - additions include: >age 55, IBD, Vegans, Depression, Headaches

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300+ Health problems associated with low vitamin D

This list is in the left-hand column of 15,000+ VitaminDWiki pages