Vitamin D

[Johnny Yesno]

I think, in terms of personal choices, the main point is that you have a lot of good evidence (in the form of sources with good authority) telling you Vitamin D is perfectly safe and sensible to take in the British Autumn/Winter anyway, and it's extremely cheap.

So you don't have to form much confidence around its COVID-protective effects to decide that taking it is a good idea. (Or any, really, I've been slowly convinced that I might as well take it in the Winter - and try to get others to do so - for years. But the 'ViD finally made me actually do so.)

(Incidentally, the bloke you linked arguably fucks up p-values, but who doesn't. And the wider point is again that you have to make sense of your evidence in the context of prior beliefs and the risks of making false-positive and false-negative errors.)

Appreciate that this is a bit different from advocating something to the UK Government.

Thanks, I appreciate your advice on this as I trust your judgement. I have been taking multivitamins with iron this winter, mostly for the vitamin D but also because I'm not sure I trust my own diet, but there's so much bullshit floating about at the moment it's difficult to know what to believe. It doesn't help if that bloke fucked up his p-values (no idea!) and no one watching has been knowledgeable enough to challenge it.

[flotemysost]

Gravely deficient in D since the first lockdown here.

Some useful information in this thread, thanks all. I bought some cheap tablets in Lidl a couple of weeks ago but keep forgetting to take them, though it's good to be reminded that it is found in other foods as well (naturally or otherwise). Probably a bit optimistic for me to think that going for a walk on my lunch break fully bundled up in a coat and face mask will yield enough of it to make any difference at the moment, though.

I wonder if SAD lamps have any effect? Been wondering if trying one might cheer me up a bit but if it helps ward off the 'vid then even better.

[Emotional Support Peacock]

Unless the sun is at a 45 degree angle above the horizon, UV levels are not high enough for your body to generate vitamin D. In southern England this rules out all of October to March.

SAD lamp will do nothing.

I take vitamin D from September through to April.

It's also worth noting that a lot of people think the recommended daily amount is far too low and taking ten times as much shouldn't do you any harm.

[Harry Badger]

I wonder if SAD lamps have any effect? Been wondering if trying one might cheer me up a bit but if it helps ward off the 'vid then even better.

They won't help with the Vitamin D situation but they do have a slight but noticeable rejuvenative effect, not unlike taking a very mild stimulant.

[poo]

Daily supplements

Vit D
Cod liver oil
Tumeric
Ginger
Protein

[Blue Jam]

They won't help with the Vitamin D situation but they do have a slight but noticeable rejuvenative effect, not unlike taking a very mild stimulant.

I've got a SAD lamp but no real idea how to use it. Any tips?

Been feeling noticeably better and more awake now we're getting more daylight up here in Scotchland. Been getting up earlier and getting more werk done. Could do with feeling less tired in the evenings though.

I also recently replaced the bulb in the lamp on my desk. Had a choice of warm white, cool white or simulated daylight so thought I'd try the last of those and it certainly looks more natural and it feels a bit nicer to have that switched on around 4pm when it starts getting gloomy.

[Harry Badger]

I've got a SAD lamp but no real idea how to use it. Any tips?

Been feeling noticeably better and more awake now we're getting more daylight up here in Scotchland. Been getting up earlier and getting more werk done. Could do with feeling less tired in the evenings though.

I've got mine hanging on the wall about 45 degrees from my computer screen. It needs to be visible but you obviously don't want the glare putting you off whatever you are looking at.

[Blue Jam]

My desk is in front of a window so I do get a lot of natural light but could do with a bit more later in the day. Mine is like a tablet computer, a flat panel with a little stand, I will try standing it against the window. Is the angle really important? Keep seeing 45° here.

[Harry Badger]

My desk is in front of a window so I do get a lot of natural light but could do with a bit more later in the day. Mine is like a tablet computer, a flat panel with a little stand, I will try standing it against the window. Is the angle really important? Keep seeing 45° here.

I never really intended it to be specifically 45 degrees, just read that it needs to be visible but off to the side a bit to avoid dazzling you. It can make you feel a bit jittery at first but you don't need to have it on all day to get the benefit. You should also be able to adjust the brightness, at least on mine you can.

[Captain Z]

Been taking Vitamin D and Succamon C.

[olliebean]

Succamon C.

I bet you do, you d.o.b.

[Chedney Honks]

Vitamin Dong

[drummersaredeaf]

My mate text to ask if I take this stuff earlier (do sometimes) and told me he took 4000iu. He'll be fucking radioactive at that dose won't he?

[ElTwopo]

My mate text to ask if I take this stuff earlier (do sometimes) and told me he took 4000iu. He'll be fucking radioactive at that dose won't he?

That's the upper limit of safe intake, according to some badly-written US health site I just looked at. 40,000iu to 100,000iu daily would be toxic though.

I've started taking vitamin D this winter, as I have rosacea which practically disappears in summer. Whether this is due to vitamin D or not, I don't know, but it seems to have made a big difference.

[Johnny Yesno]

Gravely deficient in D since the first lockdown here.

Some useful information in this thread, thanks all. I bought some cheap tablets in Lidl a couple of weeks ago but keep forgetting to take them, though it's good to be reminded that it is found in other foods as well (naturally or otherwise). Probably a bit optimistic for me to think that going for a walk on my lunch break fully bundled up in a coat and face mask will yield enough of it to make any difference at the moment, though.

I wonder if SAD lamps have any effect? Been wondering if trying one might cheer me up a bit but if it helps ward off the 'vid then even better.

As ESP already said, a SAD lamp will do nothing for vitamin D deficiency or warding of the 'vid.

However, I bought a TCP A60 smart bulb after Xmas and it has a daylight setting that I've been using to 'extend' the hours of daylight during those murky days we've been having. The temperature of the white they've chosen as the default daylight setting matches the actual daylight on those days really well, so much so that I forget it's on. It's like a daylight booster. It hasn't solved all the issues of working from home that make me gloomy but it has significantly taken the edge off.

[Fr.Bigley]

I've been taking About 2000IU of Vit D daily along with 45mg K7 (Prevents calcification from Vit D high dose) since the beginning of autumn and I've barely had a sniffle which is unusual for me as I succumb to colds and flu pretty readily. I advocated it as immune support and the actual anecdotal evidence at the reduction of hospital admission and deaths in those with high blood levels sold me. Give it a go, takes a few weeks to get the blood level concentration high enough but it works. Also helped alleviate my depression levels and brain fog.

[Zetetic]

Thanks, I appreciate your advice on this as I trust your judgement.

oh no
no no no no no

More tangentially:

That essay on learned helplessness that you posted in another thread was good

There's a slight irony, unfortunately, that in the last week or two, it's become very publicly clear that the bloke who wrote it has ended up with some ... unpleasant beliefs.

This is probably a topic for a different thread though.

[Johnny Yesno]

oh no
no no no no no

More tangentially:There's a slight irony, unfortunately, that in the last week or two, it's become very publicly clear that the bloke who wrote it has ended up with some ... unpleasant beliefs.

This is probably a topic for a different thread though.

Well, I did say that I thought I had found the limit of the essay when I came across that Dr John Wossname video, inasmuch that I had no idea whether to give it any credence or not.

[Ray Travez]

My mate text to ask if I take this stuff earlier (do sometimes) and told me he took 4000iu. He'll be fucking radioactive at that dose won't he?

I took 5,000 IU daily during the winter from 2012 to 2020 with no notieable side-effects. That's definitely the upper limit. I stopped because I read of a new study stating that the higher doses have a correlation with lower bone density, with weaker bones. I'm taking 400 IU for now. Really there's no substitute for sunlight though.

I read that the angle of the sun needs to be at least 50 degrees, meaning that the vitamin D winter in Northern England lasts from mid-August until late April. I use an app which tells you the angle of the sun at any particular time in any location.

[NoSleep]

Watched a documentary about vitamins (hosted by Derek Muller AKA the Veritasium YouTube science guy) on CuriosityStream a couple of nights ago and found out there's a major study on vitamin D that has been undertaken over the last 5 years that is due to publish some time this year.
Regarding how much is the correct dose, it seems likely that this may be quite different from individual to individual.

Been taking a supplement since late 2017, currently 3000iu per dose, but don't always remember to take it daily.

[thugler]

I take 4000, I don't remember to take it every day, and I take a less in the summer.

[olliebean]

I was taking 4,000 three times a week, which in combination with my daily multi-vitamin adds up to around 2,000/day. Recently upped it to 4-5 times a week, depending when I remember, on realising the advice is to take more of it in the winter. So that averages out around 3,000/day.

[Bazooka]

I take 4000, I don't remember to take it every day, and I take a less in the summer.

4000? I only take one.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/09/vitamin-d-supplements-may-offer-no-covid-benefits-data-suggests

Or the less clickbaity version: 'no conclusive evidence as of yet'

[Fr.Bigley]

Don't take Vitamin D then. It supports immunity it's not a cure all. Let cunts die. I'll continue to Take Vit D, Wear a mask and wash my hands regardless because i'm not a moron.

[jobotic]

We are morons and we want are freedom
We are morons and we dig Burt Weedon

[Mr_Simnock]

The lancets view on Vit d and COVID