Vitamin D is important for many metabolic processes. How is it received? What happens if there is a deficiency? How can vitamin D levels be measured? The general practitioner Dr. Carsten Lekutat explains it.
Why is vitamin D important?
Dr. Carsten Lekutat: Vitamin D is not just a vitamin, but above all a hormone. It is important for many metabolic processes, for example bone health. It ensures that we don’t get osteoporosis. It is also crucial for insulin resistance, which is important in diabetics. In practice, we see that infections occur more frequently with vitamin D deficiency. We know people are sicker, they have higher mortality.
Vitamin D also has effects on mood and sleep. A lack of vitamin D can also be behind persistent tiredness, general weakness or a depressive mood.
More about the effects of vitamin DVitamin D plays a central role in many metabolic processes. It regulates the calcium and phosphate balance and ensures the mineralization of the bones. It promotes muscle function, improves their performance, and strengthens the immune system, which fights viruses and bacteria.
In which season should you measure vitamin D levels?
There is no right time. You just need to know when I measured and classify it. After summer I have higher vitamin D levels in my blood than after winter. Vitamin D stays in the body for a long time; we can store it for around six months. It is therefore important at what time of year I measure the vitamin D level.
How high should the vitamin D level be?The guideline value is 50 nanomoles of hydroxyvitamin D per liter of blood serum. This is referred to as an undersupply; if there is less than 25 to 30 nanomoles, there is a deficiency.
Which foods contain vitamin D?
A relatively high amount of vitamin D is contained in fatty sea fish and eggs. However, the vitamin D content in foods is generally so low that the requirement cannot be met through food. This cannot be done without getting enough sun or, if necessary, taking substitute products.
However, the vitamin D content in food is so low that the requirement cannot be met through food.
How do vitamin supplements help? Where are the risks?
Vitamin supplements are useful and safe if I have a deficiency. It’s the nutritional alternatives. If my vitamin D level is too low, the replacement preparations have no side effects because I only normalize it.
However, if I am already at the upper limit and then swallow a lot of extra units of vitamin D, problems with calcium metabolism can arise. Then, for example, the calcium content can be so high that the kidneys can be damaged. Cardiac arrhythmias, nausea and vomiting and even a heart attack due to narrowing of the blood vessels can occur.
Vitamin D is a hormone. You should only take vitamin supplements when you know where you stand and therefore measure beforehand. It is important that you really do it under medical supervision.
Is the measurement of vitamin D levels paid for by health insurance?
The blood test is not covered by health insurance companies unless you have a proven deficiency and want to check the therapeutic success. If you just want to know for yourself, you have to pay for it yourself. Pharmacies offer this from time to time, even if they don’t have it in their regular program. You can also go to the doctor’s office. Then it is usually sent to a laboratory and analyzed there. The cost is approximately 30 to 35 euros for the test.
What else harms vitamin D levels?
Too little sun. We know that vitamin D reduces stress. There are some medications where you have to be careful, especially when it comes to antidepressants. Lack of sleep should be avoided. These are typical vitamin D robbers.
How is vitamin D produced by the body?Strictly speaking, vitamin D is not a vitamin at all, but a hormone because the body produces it itself. A precursor is formed in the skin with the help of the sun’s short-wave UV-B rays. That’s why it is also called the “sunshine vitamin”. From the skin it travels through the bloodstream to the liver and is further converted. Vitamin D is finally produced in the kidneys and distributed throughout the body via the blood.
What should you pay attention to when soaking up the sun?
The more sun I absorb through my skin, the more vitamin D is produced. But don’t forget sun protection, this will protect your skin from skin cancer. But that in turn makes it more difficult for vitamin D. That’s the big problem. As is always the case: you have to find the balance somehow. Tip: The early hours of sunshine are the better producers of vitamin D with lower risks.
How important is skin type?
If we put two people in the same place in the sun for 15 minutes, they will have produced different amounts of vitamin D because they have different types of skin, different skin pre-tanning or the cosmetics they use. That’s why a general recommendation to sunbathe for 15 minutes three times a week is not necessarily wise. You can only know exactly what you need individually if you have measured your vitamin D level.
Good to knowDark skin is an advantage for people near the equator. The skin pigments protect against strong UV radiation. In northern latitudes, pigmentation is more detrimental because the sun shines weaker and the skin is less able to produce vitamin D. This is also one reason why people in the north have become lighter-skinned over the course of evolution.
More about vitamin D, sun and vitamins
This topic in the program:MDR TELEVISION | MDR at 4 | March 05, 2024 | 17:00 o’clock