Free shipping above GBP 25
Delivery within 2 working days
100 day money back guarantee
Univ.-Prof. em. Dr. Ludwig Spätling
24 лют. 2022 р.
Reading time: 11 minutes
Vitamin D ensures healthy bones and is involved in a variety of metabolic processes in the human body. In contrast to all other vitamins, the need can't be met through nutrition alone; and a lack of the vitamin can cause serious illnesses. An adequate supply of vitamin D is therefore important.
Topics in this article:
Vitamin D is not only involved in bone metabolism and bone mineralization, as it promotes the absorption of calcium into the bones, among other things. It is also a component of several other important processes in the human body.
Unlike all other vitamins, your body has to produce vitamin D itself, but it needs sufficient sunlight to do so. You cannot provide your body with it exclusively through your diet, as very few foods contain sufficient amounts of the vitamin. This can lead to a vitamin D deficiency, especially in the months with little sunlight, which in the worst case can result in serious illnesses.
You can determine whether you are suffering from a vitamin D deficiency by symptoms such as
That is why an adequate supply of vitamin D is extremely important. The best way to achieve this is by taking high-quality dietary supplements, such as the vitamin D supplements from Vitaminexpress.
The German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends that adolescents and adults aged 15 to 65 consume 800 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day if their bodies are unable to produce vitamin D themselves. This corresponds to around 20 micrograms of the vitamin.
However, according to various vitamin D experts, this dose is only sufficient to cover the minimum requirement and protect against vitamin deficiency diseases. In order to keep vitamin D levels constant at the required level, experts therefore recommend a daily dose of 5,000 IU on average for adults weighing 70 kilograms.
The correct dosage of vitamin D depends on age, weight, skin color, location, and health status.
Safe upper limit (Tolerable Upper Intake Level, EFSA/USA):
Important: The exact requirement can only be determined by a blood test (25-OH vitamin D level). Optimal values are 40–60 ng/ml (100–150 nmol/l).
Contrary to what its name suggests, vitamin D is not actually a vitamin, but a hormone that the body can produce itself with the help of sunlight. It is particularly important for the development of bones, teeth, and joints.
Vitamin D contributes to, among other things:
Vitamin D not only affects bones and calcium metabolism, but also has a much broader range of functions in the body:
Vitamin D is a real power vitamin. Our immune system in particular can only benefit from an optimal supply of the “sun vitamin.”
It already plays a crucial role in the so-called innate immune system, while the acquired immune system, which develops during the first years of a child's life through contact with as many pathogens as possible, benefits primarily from the antioxidant properties attributed to vitamin D.
Scientific studies suggest that vitamin D also plays a role in the prevention of a variety of diseases.
These include:
Many people have a higher need for vitamin D, e.g., the elderly, children, or people who spend little time outdoors, have dark skin, or wear veils. In these cases, health experts recommend taking vitamin D as a dietary supplement.
Since the global outbreak of coronavirus, doctors and virologists have also been recommending vitamin D supplements, as these could have a positive effect on the course of the disease.
According to the German Nutrition Society (DGE), adolescents and adults in Germany only consume 10 to 20 percent of their daily requirement through food – the majority of the vitamin is produced by the body in the skin with the help of sunlight.
In summer, just 15 minutes of sunlight a day is enough for the body to produce its daily requirement of the vitamin. Even on cloudy days, UV radiation is usually sufficient to ensure adequate production.
Nevertheless, studies have shown that around one billion people worldwide have insufficient vitamin D levels.
There are many reasons for this, which are related to lifestyle (spending little time outdoors), living environment (in regions with little sunlight, e.g., Iceland) or the aforementioned underlying conditions that can impair vitamin D absorption.
Vitamin D deficiency is particularly common in Northern Europe during the winter months.
The reasons for this are:
Although it is advisable to replenish vitamin D stores during the summer months by spending time outdoors, vitamin D levels drop dramatically after just a few weeks without sufficient vitamin intake.
A deficiency is mainly caused by:
Typical symptoms of a deficiency:
Consequential diseases in cases of prolonged deficiency:
It is difficult to maintain a consistently high level of vitamin D, not only during the winter months due to the low amount of sunlight typical at this time of year.
In addition, the following underlying diseases can also prevent you from filling your vitamin D stores sufficiently:
Certain medications, such as
can also negatively influence the metabolism of vitamin D.
If you are diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency due to the reasons mentioned above, supplementation with the sun vitamin is absolutely advisable in order to prevent the above-mentioned secondary diseases.
Low vitamin D levels initially manifest themselves through atypical symptoms such as
As the condition progresses, there may be an increase in
If vitamin D deficiency persists over a longer period of time, it can lead to insufficient calcium storage in the bones, causing them to become soft and flexible. This can lead, for example, to
There are virtually no side effects at normal doses. Problems only arise in the event of overdose or incorrect intake.
Possible side effects of vitamin D in case of excessive intake:
Yes, vitamin D overdose is possible – but only if extremely high amounts are taken over a long period of time.
While a dosage of around 5,000 IU of vitamin D per day is considered normal and safe, an overdose usually only occurs when 10,000 IU or more is taken daily for at least three months. In some cases, values of up to 40,000 IU per day have even been observed.
Excessive intake of vitamin D can disrupt calcium metabolism and cause the following symptoms:
To avoid these risks, your individual vitamin D requirements should always be determined by a doctor – preferably via a blood test (25-OH vitamin D level).
Babies, children, pregnant women, and people with various medical conditions have different vitamin D requirements.
In addition, many other factors play a role in vitamin D absorption. These include
The recommended guidelines for calculating the optimal vitamin D dosage therefore only provide a rough guide. A blood test is essential to find out what your vitamin D level is.
Vitamin D supplements are available from Vitaminexpress in various dosage forms. Each has its own individual advantages:
Capsules
Tablets
Drops/liquid content
A vitamin D-rich diet is not easy to achieve. This makes it all the more important to know exactly which foods actually contain large amounts of vitamin D. These should be included in your diet more often, especially during the dark winter months.
The following foods, for example, are particularly rich in vitamin D:
Vitamin D is an important component of our immune system – it controls important antibodies and messenger substances, which are key factors in protecting against viruses.
It therefore makes sense to investigate the influence of vitamin D on COVID-19.
In February 2021, the Spanish Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology recommended in a statement that the treatment of COVID-19 in elderly hospitalized patients should include vitamin D supplementation as standard.
However, the statement also warned of the dangers of vitamin D overdose:
Recommended products:
About the author
Univ.-Prof. em. Dr. Ludwig Spätling
