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One of the most popular vitamins at the moment is Vitamin D and is different from many others. This is because Vitamin D can be produced by the body, unlike for example Vitamin C, which we really need to get from our diet. In addition to this characteristic, there is another property that makes it different from the other vitamins. Namely, it seems
to function more like a hormone than a vitamin.
What forms of Vitamin D are there?
Vitamin D is one of the four fat-soluble vitamins. It occurs in many different forms, the most important of which are
D2 and D3. Both are produced by the body with the help of
ultraviolet light from the sun. However, this is not sufficient, so you still depend on food and possibly supplementation to get enough vitamin D.
Vitamin D2 and D3 occur in several forms in the body: The inactive form
cholecalciferol, the form in which the amount is measured in the blood
calcifediol, and the active form
calcitriol.
Vitamin D2 is also called ergocalciferol.
Vitamin D2
To clarify, there are 2 important forms of Vitamin D:
Vitamin D2: also known as
ergocalciferol
Vitamin D3: also known as
cholecalciferol
Both forms are found in various
food supplements. Vitamin D2 is a form of Vitamin D produced by
plants, such as certain types of fungi and mushrooms. Unlike Vitamin D3, Vitamin D2 is
not produced by the body.
Vitamin D3
The other form of Vitamin D3 is also called cholecalciferol and is the
animal type. This form can be produced by humans, with the help of ultraviolet light from the sun. But that is not the only source of Vitamin D3. Because it is the animal type, you can also get Vitamin D3 from certain
fatty fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel. In addition, Vitamin D3 is often added to certain margarines and other baking or frying products.
What does Vitamin D3 do and what is it good for?
The popularity of Vitamin D3 is partly due to the roles it plays in the human body. It is a vitamin that plays various important roles in the body in properly
functioning muscles, but also in weight loss.
Strong bones due to vitamin d
Vitamin D3, together with calcium, is responsible for
strong bones in the human body. The Vitamin D that enters the body enters in the inactive form cholecalciferol. This inactive form of Vitamin D is then converted to the active form calcitriol. Calcitriol, in its active form, is no longer a vitamin but has the function of a hormone.
Together with the
PTH hormone, calcitriol stimulates the
absorption of calcium from the intestines and is responsible for ensuring that there is enough calcium present for maintaining strong bones. Therefore, Vitamin D in combination with calcium can greatly reduce the risk of bone fractures.
Vitamin D and muscles
The active form also affects the function of the muscles. This is often only noticed when there is a deficiency in the body through
muscle cramps or muscle weakness. Below we will further elaborate on this.
Vitamin D and the immune system
There is strong suspicion that the active form of Vitamin D also plays a role in the immune system and can prevent certain diseases. When converting to the active form calcitriol, cellular immunity is thought to occur. This could make certain bacteria less effective and strengthen the immune system.
Vitamin D deficiency: symptoms
When you eat varied food and spend regular time outdoors, a deficiency of vitamin D is very rare. However, if you spend a lot of time indoors and do not drink or eat milk or fish, the risk of a deficiency may increase.
Some
symptoms that occur with a
Vitamin D deficiency can be:
No energy or lethargy
Muscle cramps and weakness
Decrease in muscle strength
Painful joints and muscles
General feeling of listlessness and fatigue
To a lesser extent, the following may also occur:
Anxiety and panic attacks
Hyperventilation
With prolonged vitamin D deficiency: heart problems
How much do you need per day?
Now that the function and benefits have been outlined above, it is good to answer
how much you need per day. The RDA, or
recommended daily allowance, is set by the Health Council at
5 micrograms. This applies to the average population, and there are population groups that may have an increased need for Vitamin D. These include, for example, the elderly or people with a darker skin color.
In addition to the
RDA, there is also an upper limit to ensure safety when taking Vitamin D in the form of food supplements. For children up to 1 year old, the upper limit of vitamin D is 15 micrograms, so 3 times the RDA. For children over 1 year old, this is 20 micrograms, and for children over 10 years old and adults, the upper limit is 75 micrograms.
Too much Vitamin D
The fear of getting too much vitamin D from sunlight is unnecessary. Your body has a natural limit above which nothing more is absorbed from the sun. So there is a limit to the amount of Vitamin D your body can absorb per day. This means that you do not get an overdose when you lie in the sun for too long. But it is also not possible to build up a stock. However, if you spend too much and too long unprotected in the sun, it can have other negative consequences such as burning of the skin with an increased risk of
skin cancer. It is also not common for people to overdose on Vitamin D through other means such as food supplements. If you stick to the limit of 100 micrograms per day, you do not have to worry about an overdose.
How do you get Vitamin D?
Most of the vitamin D enters our body through the sun. Unlike other vitamins that you need to get from food, it can be produced by our
own body with the help of the
sun. The amount that your body can produce depends on a number of factors:
Duration of sunlight
Strength of sunlight
Type of skin
Amount of pigment
Age
In the winter months, from September to March, it is more difficult to get the amount of vitamin D through the sun, so food supplements are recommended. However, this is not obligatory. You can also get it from various foods.
Getting Vitamin D from food
So you can get vitamin D not only from sunlight or food supplements. It is also possible to get vitamin D from food, such as fatty fish,
eggs, dairy, meat, and liver. In addition, many margarines contain added vitamin D.
