Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin underestimated

Vitamins and their income on food supplements are often controversial. This also applies to the sun vitamin D, which is a true multi-talent and body using sunlight can be made even. But does the body’s vitamin D production? The intake through food is difficult because it is only in some animal foods.

Despite intensive research, which deals with the tasks of vitamin D in the human body, scientists still argue about the real need for vitamin D amount. Especially in the US and others countries in which the winter takes a long time, the lack of sunlight may combine with the thick winter clothing at a reduced vitamin D levels because vitamin D can be formed only by sunlight irradiation of the skin. In this case vitamin D is essential for many processes in the human body. So it not only regulates calcium and phosphate metabolism and thus makes for hard bones and healthy teeth, but it also affects the immune system and hormone metabolism. For all these processes the body needs daily vitamin D. During the summer, the body’s production ensures the supply must be used in the body to vitamin D in winter storage. Towards the end of the winter but they are increasingly empty, which can be shown for example by increased susceptibility to infections and feeling weak.

Defects is difficult to identify.

Basically, an increased susceptibility to infection but still no sign of a vitamin D deficiency should be. The only clear indication of a real shortage of vitamin D is the classical rickets in children, but which is now prevented by vitamin D intake in the first year of life. Otherwise, a vitamin D deficiency makes only nonspecific noticeable, since vitamin D almost anywhere in the body plays a role. Thus, recent studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency in the development of many diseases such as osteoporosis, autoimmune diseases, infections, high blood pressure or diabetes may be involved. And the development of depression and various forms of cancer is associated with a vitamin D deficiency. But how can a vitamin D deficiency can be avoided without also risking an overdose, which can lead to dangerous calcium excretion and renal vessels in addition to fatigue, nausea, and headaches.

The right dose makes the difference.

To prevent vitamin D deficiency, would have year-round daily between 5 and 25 minutes face and large parts of the arms and legs uncovered the sun be suspended. Both on skin type and the intensity of the sunlight and the age of the time depends, because with increasing age the body’s vitamin D production by. However, long winter and sunscreen in summer impede the body’s production of vitamin D, and also about the diet, it can not really compensate for a deficiency. Therefore, the German company presented its recommendations for daily intake of vitamin D significantly raised for food early last year and advocates for the first time even taking vitamin supplements.