A vitamin D deficiency should be corrected immediately. Whether there is an undersupply can be tested using blood values. You can find information about this here.
Vitamin D is essential for a powerful immune system, muscles and the development of bones and teeth. A deficiency can lead to osteoporosis in older people and even rickets in children. But how can a vitamin D deficiency be corrected?
How to recognize and correct a vitamin D deficiency
The symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency can vary greatly. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) may cause bone pain and muscle weakness in adults. If the deficiency is severe, the supporting bones can also become deformed. Older people can suffer from osteoporosis (bone loss) if they have a long-term lack of nutrition. Although the disease cannot be cured, it can be treated. Although osteoporosis can have many causes, according to the German Rheumatism League, an existing vitamin D deficiency should always be corrected. The connection between depression and vitamin D has also been researched for years, exactly how vitamin impact on the disease, but has not yet been clarified.
A deficiency is not recognized based on the symptoms, but rather using blood values. The vitamin D level in the blood is crucial. An optimal vitamin D value is between 30 and 50 ng/ml. Be sure to pay attention to the unit when it comes to laboratory values: The value in the blood is usually given either in nmol/l or ng/ml. The values also change accordingly: While a value of 20 ng/ml can still be viewed as the lower norm according to the RKI, the value of a unit of nmol/l is already considered a severe deficiency. If there is a deficiency, the doctor can decide whether vitamin D tablets make sense and what dosage is necessary.
Should a vitamin D deficiency be corrected with tablets?
According to the German Nutrition Society (DGE), adults need 20 µg/day of vitamin D. Dietary supplements with vitamin D are usually given in international units (IU). 20 micrograms corresponds to 800 IU. According to the DGE, this can be converted as follows:
- 1 µg = 40 International Units (IU); 1 IU = 0.025 mcg
How long it takes to correct a vitamin D deficiency depends on the severity of the deficiency but also on body weight. According to the medical encyclopedia MSD Manual, doctors usually administer high-dose preparations for about a month. The amount can then be reduced. 10,000 IU increases blood levels by about 1 ng/ml. The dosage should always be determined together with the doctor, as self-medication of vitamin D can be problematic. It is stored in the body as a fat-soluble vitamin. According to the RKI, depending on the severity, an overdose can lead to abdominal cramps and vomiting, and in severe cases there is even a risk of cardiac arrhythmia and loss of consciousness.
To prevent a deficiency from occurring in the first place, enough sun must hit the skin to produce vitamin D. However, this also depends on many different factors: skin type, clothing, time of day, season and weather conditions. The portal gesundheitsinformation.de recommends “exposing your face, hands and arms to the sun uncovered and without sunscreen for a few minutes about 2 to 3 times a week.” In winter, however, this is not enough to produce enough vitamin D. The UV index in our latitudes is too low in the cold season. According to the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, even light skin types that have less melatonin in their skin would have to spend 1.5 to 2.5 hours in the sun in January and December, for example, in the middle of the day to get roughly their daily requirement – none in freezing temperatures easy task.