[현대건강신문=채수정 기자] Most vitamins cannot be synthesized in the body or are synthesized in insufficient amounts, so they must be consumed as food. In particular, vitamin D deficiency can increase the risk of developing diseases such as rickets, osteomalacia, and osteoporosis.
Vitamin D, known as the happiness vitamin, originally controls the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, and at the same time plays a big role in keeping the brain and immune system working normally.
For this reason, it is known that vitamin D deficiency is associated with various diseases that are common around the world, such as bone health, and recently, mental diseases such as depression and geriatric diseases. So how much vitamin D do we need for good health?
Chungnam National University Department of Food and Nutrition Professor Seon-Young Lee’s team analyzed the vitamin D deficiency status of 11,949 adults who participated in the 2009-2011 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The result came out.
The Korean Food Communication Forum introduced this thesis, which was published in the latest issue of an English academic journal jointly published by the Korean Society of Nutrition and the Korean Society of Community Nutrition.
As a result of this study, which analyzed the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey on vitamin D intake and bone density in Korean adults, 86% of postmenopausal women over the age of 50 had poor bone health, such as osteopenia and osteoporosis.
The World Health Organization defines vitamin D deficiency as less than 10 ng/ml and deficiency as less than 20 ng/ml. Korea is considered one of the countries with the most severe vitamin D deficiency in various population groups worldwide.
Professor Lee’s team used the blood level of 25(OH)D, which is the best indicator of the body’s vitamin D nutritional status, to determine vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency was considered if the blood level of 25(OH)D was less than 20 ng/ml.
In this study, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was 64% for men and 77% for women.
Vitamin D is known as a vitamin that strengthens bones by helping the body absorb calcium, which is essential for bone health.
In the thesis, Professor Lee’s team said, “Vitamin D is a hormone responsible for maintaining calcium homeostasis, and is an essential nutrient that helps prevent fractures.” pointed out
In this study, the daily vitamin D intake of Korean adults was higher in men than in women. The lower the vitamin D intake, the higher the possibility of poor bone health, such as osteopenia and osteoporosis. In fact, male vitamin D intake was highest in men with normal bone health, followed by men with osteopenia and men with osteoporosis. Women’s vitamin D intake was higher in women with osteopenia than women with osteoporosis.
So what should you do to supplement your vitamin D? The ideal way to supplement your vitamin D is, of course, from natural sunlight. Vitamin D, which is made in the skin through sunlight, lasts longer in the blood than vitamin D taken from food or supplements. However, individual differences such as exposure to sunlight, various natural conditions, skin color, and skin sensitivity should also be considered.
Also, as we age, our skin’s ability to synthesize vitamin D from sunlight decreases. Even with the same amount of sunlight, the elderly can only make about 25% of the vitamin D that young people make. Therefore, the older a person is, the more sunlight they must be exposed to to make vitamin D.
So, how much vitamin D should you supplement? There is not much vitamin D consumed in food, but it is reported that the intake of vitamin D through food is limited in Korea.
The Korean Society of Bone Metabolism’s ‘Osteoporosis Treatment Guidelines 2019’ recommends a daily vitamin D intake of 800 IU (20 μg) or more to prevent and treat osteoporosis.
It is helpful to eat the following foods while taking vitamin preparations that contain vitamin D. Fatty fish such as salmon, blue-backed fish, animal liver, egg yolk, mushrooms, milk, soy beverages, and margarine. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, so it must be taken with fat or oil to increase absorption in the body.
Professor Lee’s team also stated in their thesis, “In order to improve the vitamin D status of Korean adults, we need to increase the intake of foods containing vitamin D, such as seafood, eggs, and sun-dried mushrooms.”
