Is It Safe to Take 10,000 IU of Vitamin D3? Dr. Berg Explains

Summary

This video script delves into the safety and importance of vitamin D, challenging the notion of deficiency and exploring its role in various health issues. It clarifies misconceptions about vitamin D toxicity, emphasizing its rarity and symptoms that may mimic a vitamin K2 deficiency. The script also highlights the significance of vitamin D in immune function, particularly with T-helper cells, and discusses barriers to absorption, such as skin color, age, and obesity. The importance of co-factors like vitamin K2, magnesium, and zinc in enhancing vitamin D activity and preventing toxicity is underscored, along with the potential benefits of higher doses for immune support.

Takeaways

• 🧬 Every cell and tissue in the body has receptors for vitamin D, yet there's no medical consensus on what constitutes a deficiency.
• 🤔 The safety of 10,000 IU of vitamin D daily is debated, but it's suggested that being deficient in vitamin D might be more concerning than taking high doses.
• 🚑 Vitamin D deficiency is linked to a range of health issues including a weakened immune system, arthritis, autoimmune problems, inflammation, depression, and high blood pressure.
• 🔬 The RDAs for vitamin D are based on preventing rickets and not therapeutic levels needed for addressing other health issues.
• 🚫 Vitamin D toxicity is rare, and symptoms can be confused with a vitamin K2 deficiency.
• 🛡️ Vitamin K2 plays a crucial role in calcium transportation, keeping it out of soft tissues and making bones strong, which is important for osteoporosis and osteopenia.
• 🔢 International Units (IUs) are arbitrary and not a direct measurement of mass, volume, or weight, leading to confusion about dosages.
• ☀️ Barriers to vitamin D absorption include skin color, age, weight, stress, genetic issues, geographical location, season, liver and gallbladder health, and gut inflammation.
• 🏠 Home blood spot tests offer a convenient alternative to lab visits for vitamin D testing, without needing a prescription.
• 🛡️ Vitamin D is integral to the immune system, particularly in the function of T-helper cells that prevent autoimmune diseases.
• ☀️ The 'Skin Cancer Paradox' suggests that despite sun avoidance, skin cancer rates are increasing, and there's a hypothesis that low vitamin D levels could play a role.
• 💊 High doses of vitamin D (up to 50,000 IU) are sometimes recommended at the first sign of a cold or flu to boost the immune system.
• 💧 Adequate hydration and the intake of co-factors like vitamin K2, magnesium, and zinc are important to prevent potential toxic effects of high vitamin D intake.

Q & A

Is it safe to take 10,000 IU of vitamin D every day?

The script suggests that vitamin D toxicity is rare, and the main concern should be the potential deficiency in the majority of the population. However, it's always best to consult with a healthcare provider to determine the appropriate dosage based on individual needs.

What are the functions of vitamin D receptors in the body?

Vitamin D receptors are present in every cell and tissue in the body, indicating the importance of vitamin D in various physiological processes, although the exact role of deficiency is still under debate.

Why is there no medical consensus on vitamin D deficiency?

The lack of consensus may be due to the complexity of vitamin D's roles in the body and the varying research findings on optimal levels for different health outcomes beyond just preventing rickets.

What are some symptoms of vitamin D toxicity?

The symptoms of vitamin D toxicity are similar to a vitamin K2 deficiency, which can cause confusion in diagnosis. It's important to consider the full range of nutrients and their interactions.

How does vitamin D help with calcium absorption and utilization in the body?

Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium from the gut into the blood by a factor of 20 times and works with vitamin K2 to direct calcium from the arteries into the bones, preventing soft tissue calcification.

What is the role of vitamin K2 in relation to vitamin D?

Vitamin K2 is crucial for directing calcium to the bones and keeping it out of soft tissues, which is important for preventing conditions like osteoporosis and arterial calcification.

What does an international unit (IU) measure in the context of vitamins?

An international unit is not a direct measurement of mass, volume, or weight. It is an arbitrary number agreed upon by a committee and varies for different vitamins, making it potentially confusing.

What barriers can affect vitamin D absorption in the body?

Barriers to vitamin D absorption include skin color, age, obesity, insulin resistance, genetic issues, latitude, season, liver and gallbladder health, and gut inflammation.

What is a home blood spot test, and how is it used for vitamin D testing?

A home blood spot test is a convenient method for testing vitamin D levels without needing a prescription or a visit to a lab. It involves a pinprick of blood on a piece of paper, which is then sent to a testing company for analysis.

How does vitamin D play a role in the immune system, particularly with T-helper cells?

Vitamin D is involved in the regulation of T-helper cells, which help to differentiate self from non-self in the immune system. Adequate levels of vitamin D can help prevent autoimmune diseases where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own tissues.

What is the 'Skin Cancer Paradox,' and how might vitamin D be related to it?

The 'Skin Cancer Paradox' refers to the observation that skin cancer rates continue to rise despite increased use of sunscreen and avoidance of sun exposure. The paradox suggests that while the sun's radiation is often blamed, the protective role of vitamin D against melanoma might be overlooked.

What are the recommended co-actors for vitamin D to prevent complications and toxicity?

The recommended co-actors for vitamin D include vitamin K2, magnesium, and zinc, which help to make vitamin D more active and prevent toxicity effects. Adequate hydration is also important to prevent kidney stones.

What should be the normal range for calcium levels in the blood?

The normal range for calcium levels in the blood should be between 90 and 100 nanomoles per liter or 35 to 40 ng/mL, depending on the lab and units used.

Outlines

00:00

💊 Vitamin D Intake and Deficiency Concerns

This paragraph discusses the safety of taking high doses of vitamin D daily, such as 10,000 IUs, and the lack of consensus on what constitutes a vitamin D deficiency. It highlights the prevalence of deficiency and its associated health issues, including immune system problems, arthritis, autoimmune diseases, and depression. The speaker emphasizes that the RDAs for vitamin D were primarily established to prevent rickets and not for therapeutic purposes. Vitamin D toxicity is noted as rare, and the symptoms are similar to vitamin K2 deficiency, which is crucial for calcium regulation. The importance of vitamin K2 in bone health and preventing osteoporosis is underscored, contrasting with the common misconception that vitamin D alone can prevent fractures.

05:00

🌞 Sun Exposure, Vitamin D, and Health Implications

The second paragraph delves into the role of vitamin D in the immune system, particularly its impact on T-helper cells, which are vital for preventing autoimmune diseases. The speaker challenges the conventional advice to avoid sun exposure and use sunscreen, suggesting that the lack of vitamin D might be linked to the increasing rates of skin cancer, despite these precautions. Vitamin D's protective role against melanoma and its importance for lung health, including its influence on conditions like COPD and asthma, are mentioned. The paragraph also addresses the controversy around high vitamin D intake, presenting data that suggests taking up to 50,000 IUs at the onset of cold or flu symptoms can be beneficial. The importance of co-factors like vitamin K2, magnesium, and zinc in enhancing vitamin D's activity and preventing toxicity is highlighted, along with the recommendation to stay hydrated to avoid kidney stones. Normal calcium levels are provided as a reference for health checks.

Keywords

💡Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a crucial role in calcium absorption and bone health. In the video, it is discussed as being essential for various bodily functions, including immune system regulation and cell function. The script mentions that every cell and tissue in the body has receptors for vitamin D, and a deficiency can lead to a range of health issues, such as lowered immune function and autoimmune problems.

💡IU (International Units)

International Units are a unit of measurement for the activity of a substance when the substance does not have a simple chemical composition. In the context of the video, IU is used to measure the dosage of vitamin D. The script clarifies that one IU of vitamin D equals 0.025 micrograms, and it discusses the confusion surrounding IU as an arbitrary measurement agreed upon by a committee.

💡Vitamin D toxicity

Vitamin D toxicity refers to the condition where an excessive amount of vitamin D is consumed, leading to potential health risks. The video emphasizes that vitamin D toxicity is very rare, and the symptoms can be confused with a vitamin K2 deficiency. The script also discusses the safe levels of vitamin D intake and the importance of co-factors like vitamin K2, magnesium, and zinc in preventing toxicity.

💡Vitamin K2

Vitamin K2 is a fat-soluble vitamin essential for blood clotting and bone metabolism. The video explains that vitamin K2 helps in the proper transportation of calcium from the arteries into the bones, preventing calcium buildup in soft tissues and contributing to bone strength. It is highlighted as a key nutrient in addressing osteoporosis and osteopenia, in contrast to vitamin D.

💡Calcium absorption

Calcium absorption is the process by which calcium is taken up from the digestive tract into the bloodstream. The video script mentions that vitamin D aids in this process by increasing the absorption of calcium from the gut into the blood by a factor of 20 times, emphasizing the interplay between vitamin D and calcium for bone health.

💡Autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases are conditions where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own tissues. In the video, it is mentioned that vitamin D plays a significant role in regulating the immune system, specifically the function of T-helper cells, which help differentiate self from non-self. A deficiency in vitamin D could potentially lead to autoimmune diseases.

💡T-Helper Cells

T-Helper Cells are a type of white blood cell that play a central role in the immune system by regulating immune responses. The script explains that these cells are responsible for differentiating between self and non-self, and vitamin D is crucial for their proper function, thereby preventing autoimmune diseases.

💡Osteoporosis and Osteopenia

Osteoporosis and osteopenia are conditions characterized by reduced bone density and increased risk of bone fractures. The video script clarifies that while vitamin D is important for bone health, it is vitamin K2 that is key in addressing these conditions by helping to move calcium into the bones and out of soft tissues.

💡Sun exposure

Sun exposure is a natural way for the body to produce vitamin D through the skin. The video script discusses the controversy surrounding sun exposure and skin cancer, suggesting that the advice to stay out of the sun and use sunscreen might not be entirely beneficial due to the role of vitamin D in protecting against certain types of cancer.

💡Blood spot test

A blood spot test is a method of collecting a small sample of blood, typically through a finger prick, for testing purposes. The video script mentions a home test by Omega Quant, which allows individuals to easily test their vitamin D levels without needing a prescription or a visit to a lab.

💡Skin Cancer Paradox

The Skin Cancer Paradox refers to the observation that despite increased use of sunscreen and efforts to avoid sun exposure, skin cancer rates continue to rise. The video script suggests that this paradox might be related to the protective role of vitamin D against melanoma and questions whether the sun's radiation is the sole cause of skin cancer.

Highlights

The safety of taking 10,000 IU of vitamin D daily is discussed, emphasizing the lack of medical consensus on vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D receptors are present in every cell and tissue in the body, yet the majority of the population is deficient.

Deficiencies in vitamin D are linked to a range of health issues including lowered immune system function, arthritis, autoimmune problems, inflammation, depression, and high blood pressure.

Vitamin D RDAs are based on preventing rickets, not addressing other health issues.

Vitamin D toxicity is rare, and its symptoms are similar to vitamin K2 deficiency.

Vitamin K2 plays a crucial role in calcium transportation and bone health.

International Units (IU) are an arbitrary measurement and not a direct measure of mass, volume, or weight.

Barriers to vitamin D absorption include skin color, age, weight, stress, genetic issues, liver and gallbladder health, location, season, and gut inflammation.

A home blood spot test from Omega Quant offers a convenient way to test vitamin D levels without a prescription or lab visit.

Vitamin D is intimately involved in the immune system, particularly with T-helper cells that regulate self vs. non-self recognition.

Vitamin D has a protective role against melanoma, contradicting the common belief that sun exposure solely increases skin cancer risk.

Vitamin D is important for lung health, helping to modulate the immune system's response to prevent overreaction or underreaction.

High doses of vitamin D (up to 50,000 IU) are recommended by some doctors at the first sign of cold or flu symptoms.

Safe levels of vitamin D intake are adjusted based on co-actors like vitamin K2, magnesium, and zinc, which help prevent toxicity.

Drinking at least 2.5 liters of fluid daily can prevent kidney stones, a potential toxic effect of high vitamin D levels.

Normal calcium levels should be between 90 and 100 nanomoles per liter or 35 to 40 ng/mL, depending on the lab's measurement units.

A two-page document summarizing the discussed points on vitamin D is available for free download.

Transcripts

so is it really that safe to take 10,000

IUS of vitamin D every single day that's

what we're going to talk about did you

know that every single cell and tissue

in your body has receptors for vitamin D

and yet there's actually still no

medical consensus or agreement on what a

vitamin D deficiency really is so I even

think a better question than is 10,000

iuse of vitamin D safe we should ask is

it actually safe to be deficient in

vitamin D the great majority of the

population is deficient and they have

all sorts of problems ranging from a

lowered immune system to arthritis to

autoimmune problems and inflammation

depression high blood pressure and most

of the research that came up with the

rdas for vitamin D I think roughly it's

about 600 IUS were based on preventing

uh rickets things like that but not

therapeutically to address all the other

issues like autoimmune problems and

severe infection actions so there's a

couple very important things for you to

know number one vitamin D toxicity is

very rare okay that's number one number

two the symptoms for vitamin D toxicity

are almost identical to a vitamin K2

deficiency in other words do you really

have too much vitamin D or just not

enough vitamin K2 vitamin K2 addresses

two proteins mainly and they mainly have

to do with the transportation of calcium

so D helps the absorption of calcium

from your gut into your blood by a

factor of 20x and then vitamin K2 dries

that calcium from the arteries into the

bone so two big functions of vitamin K2

is keeping calcium out of the soft

tissues not just the arteries but the

joints the kidneys the lungs other

tissues as well as making your bones

really really solid and I'm talking

about dealing with osteopenia or

osteoporosis you can't fix osteopenia

and osteoporosis with vitamin D vitamin

D doesn't even prevent fractures vitamin

K2 is the key nutrient so when I did a

deep dive in this I think I found the

main confusion with Vitamin D toxy it

has to do with this thing called

international units it's this confusing

measurement of vitamin D so what

actually is an international unit is it

actually a measurement of some mass or

volume or weight or something the answer

is absolutely not it's an arbitrary

number that was agreed on from some

committee so I'll give you just a couple

examples if we take one international

unit of vitamin E that would come out to

67 milligrams now what about one

international unit of vitamin A well

there's two types of vitamin A well you

have the precursor to vitamin A which is

beta katene and then you also have the

actual uh bioactive form of vitamin A

which is retinol so check this out one

international unit of beta carotene

equals6 micrograms and one international

unit of retinol equals. 3 micrograms one

international unit of vitamin D equals

025 micrograms that's like a quarter of

1 milligram so you can see it's very

confusing and I think they're trying to

get rid of it and you know just the

sound of 10,000 IUS sounds like a lot

but you're dealing with just a quarter

of a microgram you see the big problem

with vitamin D is there's a lot of

barriers to entry to absorption skin

color the darker your skin is the harder

it is to absorb vitamin D your age how

much weight you have if you're obese

insulin resistance how much stress you

have if you have any type of genetic

issue that is blocking vitamin D which

is very very common that's a big barrier

you also have where you live the

latitude on the planet you also have the

season I mean one really interesting

thing about vitamin D if you go to

PubMed and you just type in

seasonal diseases wow you're going to

find all sorts of fascinating research

related to vitamin D or even latitude

diseases massive amount of data also the

more unhealthy the liver is or your

gallbladder if you have the gallbladder

removed and you don't have the bile to

absorb it that could be an issue or if

there's inflammation in your gut that

you can't absorb it so there's a lot of

barriers for this vitamin D to go on the

body so if you're like me it's kind of a

hassle to go get a prescription for

vamin D go to some like lab core and get

your blood drawn to get a blood test

there's a much better test it's a home

test it's a blood spot test and I use

this company right here Omega Quant it's

a blood spot so basically it's a way to

take a pin prick of your blood put it on

this little piece of paper stick it in

this kit send it to them they send it

back I don't have to get a prescription

I don't have to go to lab core to get my

blood drawn it's really really

convenient uh so I contacted this

company and they wanted to know if I

wanted to be an affiliate I said no but

I would like my viewers to get a

discount on this test so if you click

down below there'll be a code uh you'll

get the discount not me I'm not going to

get an affiliate commission and that way

you can save a little bit on the test

but there's over

53,000 the last time I checked studies

in vitamin D in Pub medet alone crazy

amount of research and vitamin D uh is

intimately involved in your immune

system and I just want to mention one

part of the immune system called the t-

helper cell the t- helper cell helps to

regulate and make sure that we don't

attack our own tissues it's kind of like

differentiating self from non-self and

if there's confusion in this area and

this cell can't work potentially you can

develop an autoimmune disease which is

your own cells or your own immune system

attacking itself and it just so happens

that vitamin D is a big responsibility

of making sure that cell works I mean

even inside your immune cells they have

the ability to convert the inactive to

the active form of vitamin D so you can

imagine how important this is and

another point is that we've been told to

stay out of the Sun in the summer right

use sunscreen hats and coats and just

cover ourselves I mean this is like an

interesting thing to look at I mean it

stirs up a lot of controversy because

everyone knows that the sun is bad but

is it really well you're thinking about

skin cancer right have you ever heard of

the skin cancer Paradox so despite the

sunscreen despite staying out of the sun

skin cancer continues to increase we

assume that it's coming from the

radiation but really is it vitamin D has

a protective element against melanoma so

if the sun's Rays radiation were really

responsible for this then we would have

seen a decrease in cancer not an

increase also vitamin D is really

important for your lung okay it helps to

modulate um your immune system to make

sure that that immune system is not

overreacting or under reacting so it's

really good for anything related to lung

like

COPD asthma things like that and there's

also doctors that are well recognized

that will recommend taking 50,000 IUS of

vitamin D at the first sign of a cold or

flu symptoms let's look at this chart

right here this is based on some data

I'm going to put all the links down

below but we have the amounts or doses

of Vitamin D a million we have

300,000 100,000 30,000 and 10,000 okay

and this is not scaled but you can see

that these are in weeks and this is the

amounts so we have one week three week

10 week 30 week 100 week how many weeks

are in a year 52 right so that's going

to be right here so this is about a year

right here so check this out you can see

the toxicity level right here you'd have

to take a 100,000 iuse of vitamin D for

a period of time before it becomes toxic

but what I want you to look at right

here is this line right through here

this actually is considered safe if you

adjust for the co-actors in other words

there are certain nutrients that vitamin

D uses to help um prevent complications

like vitamin K2 which I've already

mentioned like magnesium and zinc so

these three nutrients are very important

to take with your Vitamin D it doesn't

even have to be taken exactly with it at

the same time but uh sometime around you

just want to make sure you're not

deficient in these because all of these

help to make vitamin D more active and

prevent the toxicity effect don't want

to forget about increasing water too

because one potential Toxic effect could

be kidney stones but if you're drinking

minimally two and a half liters of fluid

per day you can very easily prevent

kidney stones and keep your um your

urine diluted so these calcium Stones

don't develop despite if you have high

levels of calcium in the urine now what

should a normal level of calcium be okay

when you get it checked should be

between 90 and 100

nanomoles per liter or there's another

measurement you can uh use which is 35

to 40 NGS per milliliter okay so

depending on what lab you're using and

what units so I hope you feel a little

more comfortable about with vitamin D

taking 10,000 or even more I have a

really good um summary of what I just

talked about in a two-page document if

you want to download it for free I put

the link down below check it

out