Can you absorb fat-soluble vitamin D from skim milk?
A. It's not so much that fat-soluble vitamins dissolve in fat, but that they are carried across the intestinal cell barrier by lipid (fat) molecules. So, while it is true that fats are necessary for transport and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, it doesn't take much!
A couple of years ago, there was a study that found that eating avocado with vegetables increased the absorption of fat-soluble beta-carotene from the vegetables. However, a study that looked specifically at vitamin D found that vitamin D was absorbed just as well from both skim milk and orange juice as it was from whole milk. (Maybe the fiber in the vegetables plays a role somehow?)
The most likely causes of fat-soluble vitamin deficiency includea missing or malfunctioning gall bladder, bariatric (weight loss surgery), intestinal resection, or other serious digestive diseases that interfere with absorption of fats.
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Posted by: Kim C | Nov 17, 2009 8:20:23 PM
I have a vitamin d deficiency and now take calcuim with D in the morning. I no longer have a gall bladder. What can I do to increase my chance of absorption?
Posted by: Monica Reinagel | Nov 17, 2009 9:44:40 AM
@Gemma: Do you have any scientific support for your assertion that "the calcium present in cow's milk is not absorbed by our bodies?" It has been demonstrated that the calcium in dairy is in fact well-absorbed. http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/19/suppl_2/119S
Posted by: Gemma Gath BASc, RNCP | Nov 17, 2009 6:08:11 AM
I should started saying that milk, skim or whole, should be keep at large from the human being. Did you see any cow drink its own milk? so why as??? by the way, the calcium present in cow's milk its not absorved by our bodies. There is not better source of calcium that the one that is found in tehina (sesame paste).
The best source of vit. D is the sun. When sunlight is scarce, as in winter, the supplementation is the best option, 1500 IU/day.
Posted by: gerichef | Nov 16, 2009 8:14:11 PM
What do you think about sprouted grain breads? Is the lack of actual flour and the whole grains, seeds going to metabolize slower, ie longer satiation? Is this worth trying with elder's diets?
Posted by: selene | Nov 16, 2009 5:59:26 PM
"vitamin" d isn't a vitamin, it's a steroid prohormone ... and the "vitamin" d in milk and orange juice (and many times, supplements) is D2, which doesn't convert to D3 very well, which is what we need (which makes the supplement nearly useless)
skim milk isn't fat free ... neither are the grains in cereal breakfast ... and, even if they were, we have bodies with available fat already in them (usually, far too much)
finally, why not just tell people to quit eating the incredibly unhealthy SAD diet like milk and grains, and popping supplements to try to make up for it, and get out in the sun for their "vit" d? and get the rest of what they need (including fiber!) from fruits and vegetables?
Posted by: vitamine b6 | Oct 30, 2009 7:20:32 AM
My question concerns the fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and K. I usually eat a non-fat breakfast of cereal, skim milk, and berries. I take a multi-vitamin tablet containing 400 mg of D, 60 IUs of E, 3500 IUs of A, and 25 mcg of K. I also take 400 IUs of E in a capsule.
Can you find out how much fat I need to add to my breakfast in order to absorb these vitamins?
Monica's Response: Probably none, for reasons outlined above.
