What is Vitamin D good for and how much Vitamin D per day is useful? In this great post, I thought I would go through how to get it, to take supplements, side effects, deficiency, overdose and everything else around this "solvitamin".
Because you know what I am? A real vitamin D nerd! :) However, I have not had to take it as a dietary supplement until now because I usually sunbathe two "periods" per year. First in the summer and then a trip abroad in the autumn / winter.
I think it is a big contributing effect to why I am so prosperous overall (apart from my throat problems). But I feel almost alert, happy and alert!
1.5 years ago I took blood samples from werlabs (as a health check) and then I actually had a higher amount of vitamin D than the reference value. It just came from the sun! Note not bad loud, but a little above normal.
What is Vitamin D good for?
Table of contents: Click on the links below to get to specific parts of the post. :)
- What is it good for and why do we need it?
- Can it protect against Coronavirus (Covid-19)?
- How much per day is recommended?
- Overdose symptoms, is it dangerous to take too much?
- How do you get it and where is it?
- Solar solarium, can you get it in the solarium?
- Vitamin D2 or D3, which should I choose?
I have not eaten meat / poultry at all for several years, but we do eat fish sometimes. Twice a month maybe. It is a good source of vitamin D, more about that later in the post :)
What is Vitamin D good for and why do we need it?
Vitamin D helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. These nutrients are necessary to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy.
Mild vitamin D deficiency can be difficult to detect, as the symptoms are often diffuse. Early symptoms that are common are fatigue, lack of energy, or feeling generally low.
And no one wants that;)
Lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets' "English disease" in children, which manifests as a deformed and soft skeleton. Adults instead experience bone pain caused by a condition called osteomalacia.
Can Vitamin D Protect Against Coronavirus (Covid-19)?
Vitamin D has been reported to reduce the risk of Coronavirus (COVID-19). However, there is currently insufficient evidence or studies to take Vitamin D to prevent or treat Coronavirus.
However, research suggests that low levels of the vitamin are likely to increase the risk of becoming infected with Covid-19 and may also lead to a more severe course of the disease with more severe symptoms and complications.
You can read more about nutrition and immune function in relation to Coronavirus (COVID-19) if you want to nerd yourself. Click here to read the full report.
How much Vitamin D per day is recommended?
The daily recommended intake of Vitamin D varies depending on age, skin and how much you spend out in the sun.
The National Food Administration's daily recommendations are as follows:
- Infants and children under 2 years - 10 micrograms (ug)
- Children and adults under 75 years of age - 10 micrograms (ug)
- Adults with little or no sun exposure - 20 micrograms (ug)
- Adults over 75 years - 20 micrograms (ug)
It is important to think about getting more Vitamin D during the dark winter months as we are less outdoors but also get very little sun. Partly because the sun is not up for as long but also because we wear more clothes.
Things to keep in mind for people with dark skin: Dark skin inhibits the formation of Vitamin D, which makes it extra difficult for people with dark skin to form the vitamin from the sun.
D Vitamin overdose symptoms, is it dangerous to take too much?
The risk of eating too many supplements with vitamin D for a long time can cause too much calcium to build up in the body (hypercalcemia). This can weaken the bones and damage the kidneys and heart. If you choose to take vitamin D, 10 micrograms (ug) a day is enough for most people.
Do not take more than 100 micrograms (4000 IU) of vitamin D a day as it may be harmful. This applies to adults, pregnant and breastfeeding women and children aged 11 to 17 years.
Children aged 1 to 10 years should not take more than 50 micrograms (2000 IU) a day. Infants under 12 months of age should not take more than 25 micrograms (1000 IU) per day.
You can not overdose on vitamin D by exposure to sunlight, but if you have good levels of vitamin D thanks to the sun, you can skip the supplements altogether.
Free the nipple! ♥ I always sunbathe topless for a few years back. So nice to avoid sunbathing bikini lines. And so I always have high spf and lubricates the whole body, several times a day. Important, important :)
How do you get Vitamin D and where is it?
The best way to get Vitamin D is from the sun, in supplements and in certain foods.
Spending time outdoors in the sun is the most common way, but important not to overdo it! It is still important to protect your skin with clothing and / or sunscreen to reduce the risk of skin cancer and skin damage. Never burn yourself! I'm not just a vitamin D nerd, I'm a sun protection nerd too.
Just 2 weeks ago I had a client who had surgery to remove a large part of her thigh due to skin cancer and she never gets to sunbathe again. Not even with sunscreen. Be afraid of you ♥
During the summer it is enough to stay out in the sun in e.g. just arms a couple of times a week to meet their needs. Vitamins are also stored in the body, so what is formed in the summer can meet some of your needs during the winter.
However, it is good to replenish extra during the winter and this can be done through supplements or eating more of the food that contains vitamin D.
The dietary supplements that I eat now in the autumn / winter also contain turmeric and ginger, which is good because maybe I will add in a later post so that this does not become too long and scattered.
Ginger is what everyone talks about when it comes to staying healthy, but I hate ginger. Good that it is in the form of supplements instead;)
Miska is a really good cook! Here is char with a super tasty salad. And then extra vitamin D canned on it;)
Which foods contain Vitamin D?
You can also get Vitamin D through the food you eat. Especially rich in vitamin are oily fish e.g. salmon, char, tuna, mackerel and sardines but it is also found in other foods such as mushrooms, meat and eggs.
Sunbathing solarium, can you get Vitamin D in solarium?
Solar solarium is not a particularly good method. This is because the solarium has a higher proportion of UVA radiation than that from the sun. UVA radiation is a type of UV radiation and it does not contribute to vitamin D production.
The UVB radiation makes you tan, but the UVA radiation is just bad.
I'm generally anti solarium! It goes against all my care-for-the-skin-and-health principles. If you really do not want to be pale in winter, use tan without sun instead, or bronzer! I use bronzer myself :)
Vitamin D2 or D3, which should I choose?
There are different forms of Vitamin D. Vitamin D3 is formed in our own skin when we stay in the sun and is found in fish, meat, eggs and vitamin-enriched foods.
Vitamin D2 is found in, among other things, fungi, certain plants and vitamin-enriched foods. The bioactivity is slightly lower for Vitamin D2 than Vitamin D3, so vitamin D3 is preferable. But if you take vitamins regularly, there is no need to worry.
Hope you liked my post and that you replenish your depots with vitamins this winter! If you have any questions, wishes or input, feel free to leave a comment in the comments field below! :)
Do you usually take any supplements and do you feel any effect? Or do you just eat well healthier to replenish vitamins and minerals? :)
Also read:
- Probiotics, Prebiotics & Lactic Acid Bacteria
- Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) - Dietary Supplements, Serum & Food
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