How You Can Get VitaminD Even in The Winter

The effect of the sun to ensure the necessary intake of vitamin D is familiar. Vitamin D develops naturally on the skin during the summer months, but vitamin is needed throughout the year. When there is no help from the sun during the winter, in the dark, you have to use either food or a vitamin D supplement from a jar, most commonly both.

Of the nutrients, fish have the most vitamin D. The best sources of vitamin D in Finnish fish are pike, whitefish, herring, and vendace. Cod liver oil also contains some vitamin D, as do eggs and meat.

Only a few plant products contain vitamin D. It is present in chanterelles and hornbills, but the vitamin is in D2 form, the absorption of which is not very specific in the human body.

An essential source of vitamin D in the Finnish diet is dairy products to which vitamin D3 has been added. Vitamin supplementation has been used in liquid dairy products and dietary fats for several years. Vitamin D is added to liquid dairy products at 1-2 micrograms per deciliter. For spreadable fats other than butter, the addition is 20 micrograms per 100 grams. Vitamin D has also been added to a large proportion of oat and soy milk.

For an adult to get all the vitamin D they need from their diet, fortified dairy products must be consumed at least half a liter daily. In addition, you should use a vitamin D spread regularly and eat fish at least 2-3 times a week.

Nutrition alone is not enough, but vitamin D supplementation is needed if

• eat dairy-free food
• eat organic food because vitamin D is not added to it
• suffers from a milk allergy
• is a vegetarian or vegan
• loses weight
• is a vegan or dieter under 25 because the bone mass grows up to 25 years old
• is an older adult who has access to the outdoors limited
• otherwise spend very little time outdoors

Southern vacation help with vitamin refueling?

In the fall, the vitamin stores produced by the sun are still helping the body. In the summer, sunlight can make up to 250 micrograms of vitamin D per hour in light-skinned people, although full-body exposure and high sun are required. However, vitamin stores replenished by the summer sun do not last for many months, and the stores already need replenishment in the early winter months.

A holiday in the southern sun may then seem like the best solution to replenish your vitamin stores. The trip south is a quick help to refuel with vitamin D. On the skin, the vitamin is produced at a rapid rate, but not too much. There is no overdose of vitamin D produced by sunlight. The skin must, of course, be remembered to be protected from burning by a sunscreen; in the south, the sun is more burning than in the north.

For vitamin D production, it is best to expose the skin to the sun several times, but for short periods at a time. However, the effect of the southern voyage on vitamin stores is temporary, as blood vitamin D levels are halved in 3 to 6 weeks.

Vitamin D supplementation ensures the intake.

If you don’t get enough vitamin D from the sun and food, a critical help is a vitamin D supplement. There are many types of vitamin supplements available today, and when choosing the right one, you should pay attention to, among other things, the form of canned vitamin D.

The vitamin supplement can be taken either daily or once a week for a whole week’s dose. The supplement should be taken with food, as it is a fat-soluble vitamin. The efficacy of a fasted vitamin D preparation is not as good, as the absorption of the vitamin is not very efficient.

The most commonly used form of vitamin supplement for the human body is vitamin D3. Usually, the vitamin is of animal origin and is made from sheep. Such a product is not suitable for vegans. Today, there is also herbal vitamin D3 on the market, made from lichen, for example.

Many people have low levels of vitamin D in their blood during the winter, even if they use the recommended dose.

According to current recommendations, both children and healthy adults should take a vitamin D supplement during the winter months. The official request made by the State Nutrition Advisory Board and the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) is that a person should receive a total of 10 micrograms of vitamin D per day for all but those over the age of 75, for whom the recommendation is 20 micrograms per day.

As the amount of that recommendation is unlikely to be obtained from food and the sun, a vitamin D supplement is also recommended. The recommended dose for adults is ten micrograms if needed in October-March; for those over 75 years of age, 20 micrograms all year round.

However, the current recommendation may be considered too low, as many people fall in vitamin D levels during the winter, even if they use the recommended dose.

It has been estimated that people with osteoporosis should receive 25 to 100 micrograms of vitamin D per day in the winter. The exact amount should be based on a blood calcium test.

The measurement determines the need for vitamin D.

Even if vitamin levels are not in place, they may not be recognizable on their own. Everyone can find out their vitamin D level with a blood test that measures the level of calcite diode in the blood. In Finland, the average value for vitamin D is defined as 40-80 nanomoles per liter. However, this is not a target value but is defined for each person individually. For example, in the elderly, the target is more than 75 nanomoles. Readings of more than 75 nanomolar are also recommended for skeletal health.

However, researchers agree that a calcium diode concentration of less than 50 nanomolar indicates a deficiency of vitamin D. It increases the risk of rice disease in children, osteomalacia in adults, and osteoporosis in the elderly.

Authorities have set an upper limit for safe intake of vitamin D in adults at 100 micrograms per day. This is, above all, a vitamin obtained from a vitamin supplement. Vitamin D produced by the sun on the skin cannot overdose.

The role of vitamin D in the body

Why care about getting vitamin D in the winter? It has essential functions in the body :

• Increases intestinal absorption of calcium and phosphorus
• Strengthens bone in both adulthood and adulthood
• Enhances absorption of iron, zinc, and magnesium
• Regulates the function of hundreds of genes

There are several different forms of vitamin D. The most beneficial of these for humans is vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol, which is best absorbed by the body. It is found mainly in animal products but also some plant products.

Vitamin D2, or ergocalciferol, is present in plant products but rarely has high concentrations. In humans, this is not as well absorbed as cholecalciferol.

There is great interest in the effects of vitamin D on humans, and several studies are currently underway. Research from the University of Eastern Finland has given indications that precise intake recommendations are not easy to offer and that the optimal intake of vitamin D from a health point of view depends on the person. For best results, for example, recommendations for each winter’s vitamin D intake should be made individually.

The importance of vitamin D for human health has recently been enthusiastically studied, and various studies suggest that its deficiency can cause a wide range of problems, such as:

• osteoporosis and fractures
• risk of heart disease
• autoimmune diseases
• risk of diabetes
• respiratory infections
• low mood

Therefore, in winter, when sun help cannot be secured, one must especially remember to take care of adequate vitamin D intake.