Comment by dcx | Hacker News Reader

Comment by dcx | Hacker News Reader

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Related to this topic, if you have IBS/IBD, some interesting research been coming out in the last couple of years indicating that low vitamin D may play a role in this issue as well. This [1] 2015 study found 82% of people with IBS had low vitamin D levels relative to 31% in the control group. This [2] 2016 one proved causation of vitamin D supplementation improving symptoms, by randomly splitting into two groups and treating only one. This [3] speculative writeup by the Vitamin D Council in 2014 discusses some possible mechanisms of action.

This seems like such low-hanging fruit that it was extremely surprising to me that this is at the cutting edge. Causes and cures for IBS are not clear and one third of patients find current treatments unsuccessful [4]. But the above doesn't seem to be well known in online discussion because it's so new, and my gastroenterologist didn't bring it up at all either.

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4412886/

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27154424

[3] https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/health-conditions/inflammato...

[4] https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/study-finds-high-dose-vitami...

Anecdotal: nothing helped my IBS. Dietary changes, exercise, nothing. Drs said nothing looked wrong. By the time I was 26, it was so bad I would stay home and not socialize often. I would need immodium like candy just to get through a social function. It was truly a nightmare. I was ready to give up.

4000 UI vitamin D a day, and about four weeks in it magically goes away 90%. I've gotten thanks from other people I passed the tip to.

Incidentally, the symptoms started abruptly about a year and a half before my diagnosis of melanoma; another disease with a vitamin D link.

A common type of IBS is actually caused by an autoimmune condition whereby the body begins to attack the protein vinculin instead of attacking camplobacter cdtb. There's a blood test you can now get which tell you if this is going on in your system.

What's the test called?

Anecdotal: I have Chrohns and take 2000 UI Vitamin D everyday. I've been prescribed the lowest dosage anti-inflammatory (Mesalamine) for years and rarely had a flare up. My Vitamin D blood tests always come back in the normal level.

Another anecdote... I also take mesalamine (as Delzicol in my case), and take 3000 IU of Vitamin D (along with supplements of calcium, B-complex, and some others). I almost never have flares.

However, I can't get a good colonoscopy - my GI doc says the prep is always bad, even if I extend it for an additional day. He attributes that to a chronic simmering inflammatory state preventing things from cleaning out well. That puts me at a much higher risk of colon cancer, and so I'm also doing Entyvio infusions prophylactically.

Have you tried going to a different doctor?

What's 'normal' at your lab? My lab says 50 ng/ml is normal, but my experience with antibodies says it should be between 70 and 100 to see an effect.

My lab shows anything over 30 ng/ml as "optimal" (looks like 30 to 100 on the chart). My values the past 2 years have been in the mid 50's.

Thanks for this. I have IBS and began taking a 2000 IU supplement of Vitamin D awhile back for unrelated reasons. Maybe I'll bump it up to 3000 to see if it helps.

No worries at all! I'm in the same boat. FYI some patience is needed as it apparently takes 3-6 months for changes in vitamin D input to make its way into the bloodstream and show effects [1]. I've just started supplementing 5000 IU as I get very low levels of sunlight. Fingers crossed that this helps the both of us.

[1] http://www.vitamindandms.org/faq/index.html#How%20long%20wil...?

That seems to be too low to have an effect if you are actually deficient according to the study.

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