Artificial intake can be very harmful to your health

Vitamin D is very important to the body. There are ways to prevent deficiency. However, be careful. Oversupply can be harmful to your health.

Frankfurt – Very few people drive out, especially in the darker months, when the weather is humid, cold and uncomfortable. Working from home during the corona pandemic also means that fewer and fewer people are outdoors. But this is a specific health problem. The human body needs sunlight to produce vitamin D, a particularly important vitamin. It is very important to humans as it regulates phosphate and calcium metabolism and thus contributes to bone hardening. In addition, Vitamin D boosts the immune system and affects muscle strength.

Therefore, vitamin D deficiency can be harmful to your health. Summarized by rztezeitung, the list of diseases that are likely to be associated with deficiency is getting longer and longer. It includes diseases such as susceptibility, weakness, heart attack, diabetes, rheumatism, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and multiple sclerosis. But when is it flawed and what should we do about it?

Prevention of Vitamin D Deficiency: Instead of Tablets-What Really Helps

According to the German Dietitians Association (DGE), there is a deficiency when the serum concentration of marker 25-hydroxyvitamin-D is less than 30 nmol / liter of serum. This type of flaw does not apply to the majority of the German population. However, the expert community confirms that nearly 60% of Germans do not achieve the highest possible blood levels of 50 nanomoles per liter of serum. As a result, this means that more than half of the health potential of vitamin D is underutilized. However, experts say that the use of tablets and supplements for healthy people is not always recommended. It can promote vitamin formation through an adapted lifestyle and guided nutrition.

Sunlight on the skin may be sufficient for the body to produce the required amount of vitamin D. However, the actual amount of this important vitamin produced depends on factors such as time of year, weather, clothing, and skin type. Therefore, DGE advice should only be understood as a routing value. In Germany, 10 to 25 minutes of sunbathing between March and May is sufficient, depending on the type of skin. About a quarter of the surface of the body needs to be exposed to sunlight, not only on the hands and face, but also on parts of the arms and legs. For skin types 1 and 2, the skin types listed in the table indicate “light skin to very beautiful skin color, bright red or blonde hair, blue or green eyes”. The third skin type is “medium skin tone, black hair, brown eyes”.

Vitamin D: Which food has the highest concentration?

However, these indicators are only relevant for the period from March to October. But what is the best way to act in the dark season? Of course, sitting in the winter sun is also beneficial, but according to “rztezeitung”, the angle of incidence of the sun is so flat that it does not always produce large amounts of vitamins. The good thing about Vitamin D is that it can be stored in the body. Therefore, accumulating vitamin stocks in the summer allows you to replenish vitamins in the cooler, less sunny months.

However, a proper diet can also help raise your vitamin D levels. The concentration of this important vitamin is highest in fatty fish such as herring and salmon. Eggs also have amazing concentrations. Various types of mushrooms and liver are also recommended. However, for example, the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) claims that dietary intake of vitamin D plays only a secondary role. The focus remains on the generation of sunlight in the body.

Overdose of Vitamin D: Too much vitamin can be harmful to your health

There are no pills or lotions that contain only vitamin D, and some foods are currently fortified with vitamin D. However, we do not recommend taking such supplements unless you have proven vitamin D deficiency and cannot improve your levels. BfR confirms, brought about by exposure to food or sunlight. And there is a simple reason for that.

Excess vitamin D can have a negative effect on your health. The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment warns: “Currently, regular intake of more than 100 micrograms of vitamin D, which can only be achieved by overdose of vitamin D preparations in a normal diet, can cause unwanted effects such as kidney formation. Or calcification occurs in the kidneys. However, for medical reasons, more vitamin D can be measured medically. “

Vitamin D Deficiency: Group at Risk – When Experts Recommend Pills

However, some groups of people belong to groups that are prone to vitamin D deficiency. This includes, for example, people who can only spend a short time outdoors for health or other reasons (for example, because of illness). According to BfR, for cultural or religious reasons, even those who leave the house completely covered in clothing, or even those with dark skin. Elderly people also belong to the risk group because the formation of vitamin D in the body decreases with age. In addition to the elderly, young people also belong to the risk group. Infants get very little vitamins from breast milk and should avoid exposure to direct sunlight as much as possible.

Vitamin D supplementation is recommended for these high-risk groups. However, only if these deficiencies are found and the doctor recommends improving vitamin levels. (Sophia Luther)