The majority of the population has a vitamin D deficiency - and they don't know it at all. Maybe you too? Vitamin D is essential for our health. It is all the more practical that our body can form the vital substance itself with the help of sunlight. We'll tell you how to recognize a vitamin D deficiency and what you can do about it.
When is your mood better: in winter or in summer? In the rain or in the sunshine? These two examples are extreme, but we are pretty sure that you also belong to the group “We love summer and the sun”. Why? Because we simply get out of bed with more energy at the time, we go to work with a smile in the morning and our mood is automatically positively stimulated. Who we owe? Vitamin D.
Why do we need vitamin D and how much?
The vitamin not only ensures a good mood, but also promotes, for example, the formation and maturation of bone stem cells in your body and the absorption of calcium and phosphate for mineralization. Result: Your bones are strengthened. The immune system also benefits from vitamin D because it supports your immune system. It also has a positive effect on your cardiovascular system, your blood pressure and your insulin level and has a protective effect on the nerve cells in the brain. According to various studies, vitamin D is also said to have an enormous influence on body weight, because if there is a deficiency, it increases hunger and slows down the burning of fat. If the vitamin is missing, your body stores fat much more easily, making it harder to lose weight.
As you can see, the nutrient is essential for a healthy and vital life!
But in this country vitamin D is mostly in short supply - especially in autumn and winter. Your body can hardly produce any vitamin D at all, because the sun is too weak and your skin is hardly kissed by the sun due to the weather. At this point, your body is dependent on the stored vitamin D from the summer. Although the nutrient gets into your organism in very small quantities through food, for example through high-fat edible fish, liver, oysters, butter, milk and eggs, the main part is covered by the UV-B rays of sunlight.
Children from one year and adults need a dose of around 20 micrograms (µg) per day, infants 10 micrograms (µg). A healthy diet with the usual foods is not enough for this. They provide just 1 to 2 µg per day for children, 2 to 4 µg of vitamin D per day for adolescents and adults. For this reason, a vitamin D deficiency is widespread among us.
Do you have a vitamin D deficiency?
Even if we would like to have sunshine every day, the reality usually looks pretty cloudy - also for our vitamin D level.
You are probably hard-working, working a lot - in the office, of course - and are indoors most of the day and, if the sun shines at all, only see you through the window or in the evening. Well then welcome to the club of people who are very likely to have a vitamin D deficiency. How so? Because your skin rarely comes into contact with UV-B rays, which are necessary for your body to produce vitamin D. But not only desk offenders often have a vitamin D deficiency. Symptoms such as increased hair loss, muscle and bone pain, nervousness, permanent fatigue, bone loss, depression or an increased susceptibility to infection can also indicate this. In addition, older people often have a deficit because the skin's ability to synthesize decreases with age, as do babies and toddlers who are particularly protected from the sun, as well as dark-skinned people because their darker skin tone inhibits UV rays.
How vitamin D gets into your body ...
Your body creates 80 to 90 percent of the vitamin D requirement with the help of sunlight. If the ultraviolet light hits your skin, the precursor of a hormone is converted into vitamin D. It reaches the liver and then the kidneys via the bloodstream. There it is converted into its active form, the so-called D3. However, it is imperative to stay outdoors. The evening sun is of little use, since the sun should be relatively high so that the necessary UV-B radiation reaches your skin. So go outside when the sun is shining and use your lunch break for a short walk or a meal on the park bench, for example. That's enough daily sunbathing from 15 to 20 minutes already enough to keep the vitamin D level in balance and to fill the necessary buffers for the winter months.
But be careful: the face, arms and legs should be uncovered. And this usually only works at warm temperatures, which are not the order of the day in Germany. Women who like to use day creams with a sun protection factor are also increasingly showing signs of deficiency. Why? Of the Sunscreen factor in the cream inhibits theProduction of vitamin D in the body. The solution: if the sun is shining, just take off the day cream from time to time and allow the facial skin some sun. But be careful: don't overdo it and just stick to the 15 to 20 minutes before you get any unwanted skin damage. Supplements that provide high-dose vitamin D in drops or tablets can also provide support. Important: A blood test from the doctor should first confirm that you really have a vitamin D deficiency. An overdose can lead to undesirable side effects such as B. headache, dizziness, gastrointestinal complaints or renal insufficiency. But don't be afraid, too much sunlight or diet can hardly overdose on vitamin D.
If you are interested in dietary supplements with vitamin D, take a look at our two top products. The high-dose vitamin D3 complex and the simple, normal-dose vitamin D in a practical annual pack.
https://sanhelios.de/products/vitamin-d3-kapseln
https://sanhelios.de/products/sanhelios-sonnenvitamin-1000-i-e-vitamin-d3
Our personal tip: get out into the fresh air and into the sun with you! But don't overdo it until you get sunburned. As the saying goes: sometimes less is more!
We hope you enjoyed our contribution to vitamin A and that you were able to take some tips with you on this great all-rounder for your immune system. If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us via the comment function.
Sunny greetings,
Your Sanhelios team