As we end this long summer and we get outside less, we automatically catch less sunlight as well. Chances are we are not getting enough vitamin D if we do not take supplementation.
What is vitamin D
Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble pro-hormones, whose two main forms are vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol, the plant form) and vitamin D3, the animal form).
Strictly speaking, vitamin D is not a true vitamin. After all, it can be produced in the (uncovered) skin between May and October under the influence of UV-B (ultraviolet light) from sunlight. You do need to be outside for at least 15 minutes to half an hour every day between 11 am and 3 pm. The rest of the year, the sunlight is not powerful enough to ensure adequate vitamin D production. Important risk groups for vitamin D deficiency are infants, children, pregnant women and the elderly.
In addition, people with darker skin tones and those who cover most of their bodies, always use sunscreen or spend most of their time indoors may have insufficient body production of vitamin D throughout the year. In short, for part or all of the year, we depend on vitamin D from dietary supplements for proper vitamin D supply. It is virtually impossible to get enough vitamin D from the diet, even when using foods fortified with vitamin D.
How is vitamin D converted in the body?
When blood calcium levels fall, the kidneys are prompted to produce 1,25- dihydroxyvitamin D. This causes increased reabsorption of calcium by the kidneys. If too little calcium is present in the body, calcium is transported from the bones into the blood. Through the skin, Uv light enters and is converted by the liver and then the kidneys make it “active. Vitamin D is stored in our fat cells.
Knowledge about the role of vitamin D in the human body has increased dramatically in recent decades. Scientists have found receptors (proteins in the cell wall that can relay signals from inside or outside the cell) for vitamin D in more than 30 different types of tissues and organs, including immune cells, brain, muscle, heart, pancreas, thyroid, parathyroid, thymus, skin (horn cells), intestines, ovaries, uterus, placenta, breast and prostate. This means that vitamin D has a wide range of activity and supports health in a variety of ways.
So vitamin D is not only important for strong bones and teeth. Recent scientific studies have shown that a good vitamin D supply is beneficial over time for life expectancy and quality of life. Ensuring optimal vitamin D supply year-round is therefore an excellent investment in health!
Functions in the body
- Is important for strong bones and teeth and increases calcium (calcium) absorption in bones and teeth
- Is important for strong and flexible muscles and good balance
- Promotes a healthy and balanced immune system
- Increases resistance to infections
- Supports metabolism of carbohydrates and fats
- Reduces fat storage
- Has a beneficial effect on heart and blood vessels
- Helps maintain healthy blood pressure
- Supports the barrier function of the intestinal wall
- Is important for fertility
- Is good for the nervous system, brain function and mental resilience
- Is positive for mood and well-being
- Supports the condition of the eye
- Helps maintain healthy cells and tissues
- Counteracts aging processes.
"The sun may be down, but your health shouldn't be left in the dark. Vitamin D: the key to strong bones, healthy immunity and a radiant lifestyle all year round!"
Sources of vitamin D
Vegetable (vitamin D2)
Mushrooms and yeast
Animal (vitamin D3)
Fatty fish, fatty meat and milk fat.
Signaling increased need/risk of shortage
The elderly, slimming diets, pregnant and breastfeeding women, dark-skinned people living far from the equator (dark-skinned people do not synthesize vitamin D through the skin as readily as light-skinned people), veiled women, vegetarians and vegans, children on antiepileptic drugs, exclusively breastfed infants, people living in latitudes 40 or south (mainly in the winter months) and when ill (increased vitamin consumption)
Usage recommendations vitamin D
Supplementation of vitamin D refers to D3 or cholecalciferol. In 2012, the Health Council updated the dietary standards for vitamin D (see table below).
Vitamin D
Choose a good orthomolecular brand such as AOV, Vitals, Thorne or Biovitaal. For supplements, preferably choose natural remedies and not chemical ones. Always use vitamin D with meals with some fats, your body needs fats to absorb the vitamin.
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