Dietary Super-Doses of Cholecalciferol Fed to Aged Laying Hens Illustrates Limitation of 24,25-Dihydroxycholecalciferol Conversion
Developments in Nutrition Volume 8, Issue 5, May 2024, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.102156
Matthew F Warren 1, Pete M Pitman 2, Dellila D Hodgson 1, Nicholas C Thompson 3, Kimberly A Livingston 1
Background
Older humans taking high concentrations of vitamin D3 supplementation for a prolonged time may be at risk of vitamin D toxicity. It is unclear how dietary super-doses (10,000 times greater than the requirement) can affect vitamin D3 status in aged animals. Aged laying hens could be a model to compare vitamin D3 supplementation effects with women in peri- or postmenopausal stages of life.
Objectives
We investigated the dietary super-dose impacts of cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) on vitamin D3 status in aged laying hens in production.
Methods
Forty-eight 68-wk-old Hy-Line Brown laying hens were individually housed in cages with 8 hens per dietary treatment for 11 wk. Hens were randomly assigned to 1 of 6 treatment groups of dietary vitamin D3 supplementation and consumed ad libitum. Supplementation concentrations were 400, 800, 7400, 14,000, 20,000, and 36,000 IU D3/kg of feed. At the end of the study, all hens were sacrificed, and tissue samples and feces were collected. Plasma and egg yolk vitamin D3 metabolites, calcium and phosphorus composition of eggshells, ileal digesta, and feces were measured. Duodenal, ileal, liver, and kidney gene expression levels were also measured.
Results
We observed that increasing dietary vitamin D3 increased plasma vitamin D3 and egg yolk vitamin D3 (P < 0.0001 for both sites). We also observed an increase in plasma 24,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol as dietary vitamin D3 concentrations increased (P < 0.0001). The plasma 25-hydroxycholecalciferol:24,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol ratio exhibited an asymptotic relationship starting at the 14,000 IU/kg D3 treatment.
Conclusions
Dietary super-doses of vitamin D3 led to greater plasma and egg yolk vitamin D3 concentrations, which shows that aged laying hens can deposit excess vitamin D3 in egg yolk. We suggest future research should explore how 24-hydroxylation mechanisms are affected by vitamin D3 supplementation. Further understanding of 24-hydroxylation can help ascertain ways to reduce the risk of vitamin D toxicity.
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Note: No decrease in egg production, and the eggs had a lot more vitamin D
IU Computations by VitaminDWiki
Some chickens got 36,000 IU of vitamin D per kg of feed
Those chickens consume 100 gram of feed/day = 3,600 IU
Those chickens weigh 2 kg each, so they got 1,800 IU per kg
A human might weight 80 kg
So the vitamin D dose for a human would be 1,800 X 80 = 144,000 IU
VitaminDWiki - Overview Veterinary and vitamin D contains:
Veterinary category hasAnimals need Vitamin D too
- Vitamin D is important for pregnancies (pigs as well as people)– Sept 2022
- Many Vitamin D similarities: people and cows - March 2022
- Several advanced-maternal-age problems reduced if given Vitamin D during pregnancy (mice in this case) – July 2021
- Poor immune system associated with low Vitamin D (dogs in this case) – June 2020
- Chicken bones, eggs, and activated vitamin D in eggs increased with 2 hours of daily UVB – Dec 2019
- Vitamin D in eggs increased 4X after UV lighting near legs was added – April 2019
- Hens with Vitamin D were better in at least 5 ways – RCT Aug 2018
Pets as well
- Critically ill dogs with good levels of vitamin D have much better outcomes (humans too) – March 2018
- Half of dogs now get cancer, it used to be just 1 percent (probably low Vitamin D)
- Dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, pet birds, etc need Vitamin D
- Dogs with Cancer have low vitamin D, same as humans – Sept 2017
- Companion animals (dog, cats) need vitamin D too – March 2016
- Hospitalized cats 8X more likely to die if low vitamin D (Vit. D helps humans too) – May 2015
- Rickets increasing in dogs
Farm Vets are paid when their "patients" are healthy,
vs doctors who are paid only when "patients" become sick
_Cows are routinely given 30 IU per kilogram (which would be 10,000 IU for a 150 lb person)
Same information is available on Cattle need 66 IU of vitamin D per pound
The US RDA of vitamin D for cows is 13 IU per kilogram (which would be 4,300 IU for a 150 lb 'cow')
Virtually all US farmers who raise livestock use feed which is supplemented with vitamin D
Merick Vet Manual supplement if not have UV or sunlight
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