As COVID-19 continues to rage around the world, people are paying special attention to ways to strengthen the immune system. Recently, a belief has been circulating on the Internet: taking high doses (5000 IU) of vitamin D3 can fight the new coronavirus. However, many people don’t know much about vitamin D. Why do they say this? What are the functions of vitamin D, and what is the safest and most effective way to supplement it and avoid side effects?
Why is there a popular saying that “vitamin D can fight the new coronavirus”? What role does vitamin D play in health?
1. Vitamin D can enhance bone density and prevent osteoporosis. This is because it promotes the absorption of calcium in the intestine and plays a significant role in maintaining calcium and phosphorus concentrations in the blood.
2. Vitamin D is essential for regulating the immune system and can help us fight viruses. A study from the University of Chicago found that people with sufficient vitamin D in their blood had a 77% lower risk of COVID-19 infection than those with vitamin D deficiency.[1]. Vitamin D can regulate the immune system and maintain balance. Specifically, when the immune system is too low, making the body vulnerable to pathogens, vitamin D can boost immune system activity and help the body fight infection; conversely, when the immune system is overactive, it may cause the immune system to attack its own tissues. , Vitamin D helps suppress excessive activity of the immune system and reduce inflammatory responses.
3. Vitamin D also has anti-cancer effects. One of the characteristics of cancer cells is that they lose their normal differentiation ability and no longer grow according to normal patterns. Instead, they grow and reproduce in a disorderly manner, leading to tumor formation. Vitamin D can promote the normal differentiation of cancer cells, help them “return to the right path”, and play an anti-cancer role.
3 ways to supplement vitamin D
In daily life, there are three simplest ways to supplement vitamin D.
1. In the diet, fish and mushrooms are good sources of vitamin D, such as salmon, saury, dried shiitake mushrooms and black fungus. Vitamin D2 mainly comes from plant food sources, especially certain mushrooms; vitamin D3 mainly comes from animal foods.
Salmon, saury, dried shiitake mushrooms and black fungus are all good sources of vitamin D. (Shutterstock)
2. Sunbathing is also a good way to supplement vitamin D. Human skin contains precursors of vitamin D. When ultraviolet B (UVB) rays hit the skin, these precursors are converted into vitamin D.
It should be noted that people with different skin colors have different abilities to absorb UVB. Dark skin contains more melanin and can absorb more solar energy. This will lead to a lower conversion rate of vitamin D, which means that dark skin has People need longer periods of sun exposure to produce enough vitamin D. On the contrary, people with light skin have less melanin and are more efficient at converting vitamin D, but they are also more susceptible to sunburn.
The best time for sun exposure is between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., but to avoid sunburn, avoid strong sunlight at noon. It is also important to note that sitting next to a window and receiving sunlight through glass windows is ineffective because glass blocks UVB rays and cannot promote the production of vitamin D in the skin. In addition, although using sunscreen can prevent sunburn and skin cancer, it will also block UVB rays and affect the synthesis of vitamin D. Therefore, it is recommended not to apply sunscreen when sunbathing to obtain vitamin D. If you are worried about your face getting tanned, you can use sunscreen only on your face and expose your hands and feet to the sun to get vitamin D.
3. The last common source of vitamin D is nutritional supplements, but you must be careful not to overdose, otherwise it will cause various side effects.
Be careful of poisoning if you overdose on vitamin D! How to avoid it?
Consuming too high amounts of vitamin D can cause poisoning and harm your health. This is mainly because vitamin D can promote the body’s absorption of calcium, thus increasing the calcium concentration in the blood. When blood calcium levels are too high, symptoms of vitamin D poisoning will occur, including but not limited to fatigue, headache, depression, muscle weakness and other neuromuscular symptoms; in more severe cases, it may lead to coma and cardiac arrest. . In addition, vitamin D poisoning may cause nausea, vomiting, constipation and abdominal pain, as well as symptoms related to kidney function, such as polyuria, thirst and dehydration. Long-term excessive intake of vitamin D may also lead to calcification of the kidneys, skin, and heart, which is the abnormal deposition of calcium salts in these tissues.
High-dose vitamin D supplementation must be carried out under the guidance of professionals, and blood monitoring must be performed regularly to detect 25OHD and blood calcium. It is recommended to have a blood test every 3 to 6 months. There are two issues that need to be checked, namely whether the absorption is good and whether the dosage form used is suitable for absorption; and liver or kidney function problems, because vitamin D, whether of plant or animal origin, needs to be converted into an active form by the liver and kidneys. Patients with sleep problems and chronic kidney disease need to pay special attention: If you usually stay up late or have sleep problems, it may also affect liver metabolism, thereby affecting the conversion of vitamin D; chronic kidney disease can also affect the conversion of vitamin D. Therefore, if the level of vitamin D in the blood does not rise, it is necessary to explore aspects such as digestion and absorption, dosage form selection, and liver and kidney function. It is recommended to seek help from a doctor for treatment of intestinal, dosage, liver and kidney problems.
When taking high-dose vitamin D supplements, be sure to seek diagnosis and examination from a doctor who is familiar with medicine or nutrition, and avoid blindly supplementing based on online information, because everyone’s physique is different, and inappropriate doses may cause side effects. I hope that today’s sharing will help everyone gain correct knowledge and avoid poisoning and side effects.
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In this chaotic world, if you want to be healthy, look at Health 1+1! ◇
(Provided by Dr. Lin Lin Yourong, American Naturopathic Physician Health Chat Room)
(This article is excerpted from “Eat vitamin D like this to avoid poisoning!“, Dr. Lin Lin Yourong Provided by American Naturopathic Physician Health Chat Room）
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Editor in charge: Li Fan
2024-02-25 01:40:44
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