Everything you need to know about vitamin D

It’s sunny outside and it’s beautiful!

But let me tell you one thing for sure. Winter is coming. Yes, winter is coming. Perhaps you think I am a little strange for bringing this subject into consideration, but know that a cautious man makes his summer a sledge and winter a wagon.

Even though it’s not a popular topic during the summer, I want to talk about today vitamin D.

In my practice I don’t work with and I don’t recommend whole lists of supplements, but vitamin D I can say is at the top of the list.

Most of the people I work with are deficient in vitamin D, and it plays a major role in our health – especially our immune system and bone system.

What is vitamin D?

There are 2 forms of vitamin D:

D2- Erogocalciferol: Found in mushrooms.

D3- Cholecalciferol: Found in fish oil, fatty fish, sardines, mackerel and egg white.

From my point of view vitamin D3 is much more effective.

Because it’s summer, I want you to be aware that vitamin D is also produced in the skin, when you expose yourself to the sun. If you produce a lot of vitamin D it is stored in fat tissue and used when needed.

It’s important to be exposed to the sun all year round, but take advantage now in the summer and stock up on vitamin D.

How much vitamin D does your body make?

It depends on many factors, such as the time you are exposed to the sun, the season, latitude and skin color. Depending on where you live, your vitamin D levels can be very low, especially during the winter.

Be careful in the summer, the sun protection we apply can decrease the absorption of vitamin D.

I said above that it is important to have this vitamin because it helps the bone and immune system, but I believe that every part of our body wants and needs vitamin D. I believe this because every cell in our body has a vitamin D receptor.

How do you know if you are deficient in vitamin D?

Very simple. Nowadays almost all laboratories can process a blood sample and get an immediate result. The analysis is called 25-OH-D and it reflects the stores of vitamin D in the body.

For those who live in Romania in particular, I recommend supplementing with vitamin D.

In other Western countries, measuring vitamin D levels is part of the national prevention plan.

There is a lot of research and it is no longer a secret that this vitamin can prevent cancer, bone problems, sclerosis, osteoporosis, psoriasis and more than that supports brain health.

How much vitamin D should we supplement?

First of all, the unit of measurement is IU (international units). Depending on age is recommended to administer between 600 IU and 800 IU daily.

People who live in less sunny areas need much more vitamin D when we talk about supplementation.

The latest studies suggest a higher daily intake of vitamin D, namely between 1000-4000 IU.

I recommend that you keep in mind that the values above are the minimum recommended values. Always when you want to make a plan to supplement a certain micronutrient it is good to follow the advice of a specialist.

I also recommend you in the case of vitamin D, consult a specialist because depending on your age, ethnicity, the latitude where you live, you will need a certain amount of vitamin D.

Depending on the laboratory you work with, you may be told that a level of 20 ng/ml or 30 ng/ml is considered sufficient. Personally I prefer to consider slightly higher values as normal.

Where can you get vitamin D naturally?

First of all expose yourself to the sun, secondly from food and then from the multitude of supplements available on the market.

I urge you to inform yourself about this topic and make the most of it, especially now in the summer months.
Finally, I recommend that you expose yourself to the sun several times a week with your arms, legs, abdomen and back for at least 10 minutes between 10 am and 3 pm, without sunscreen. Use sunscreen afterwards to protect yourself from the sun’s unwanted effects.

Good health!

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