Vitamin D influences numerous processes in our body: It ensures solid bones and solid teeth, regulates our immune system, supports muscle work, and is involved in cell division. And vitamin D significantly improves the absorption of calcium, which is required for many body functions.
How much vitamin d should I take?
A sufficiently high vitamin D level is therefore of enormous importance for our health and well-being. Unfortunately, most people do not have enough vitamin D. This means that a large proportion of the population does not use the preventive potential of vitamin D for bone health and is therefore not adequately supplied.
It depends on the values: How much vitamin D do people need?
The Society for Nutrition (DGE) estimates the daily vitamin D requirement without the body’s education for people aged one and over to be around 20 µg (800 IU) per day. According to the DGE, infants need half of this. However, the body produces a large part (around 80 to 90%) of the vitamin D it needs with the sun’s help. The remaining 10 to 20% is usually ingested with food.
How high should the vitamin D level in the blood be?
To conclude the personal vitamins D supply, a doctor can measure the concentration of a substance called “25-hydroxyvitamin-D” in the blood. This is the precursor of biologically active vitamins D in the body.
According to the DGE, there is a vitamins D deficiency when less than 30 nanomoles of 25-hydroxyvitamin D can be measured per litre of blood serum.
That corresponds to 12 nanograms per millilitre of serum. There is a good supply of vitamins D when the blood concentration is at least 50 nanomoles of 25-hydroxyvitamin D per litre of serum. This corresponds to 20 nanograms per millilitre.
An inadequate supply of vitamins D can have severe consequences for the body. This can range from symptoms of fatigue to reduced immune function and muscular problems to insufficient mineralization of the skeleton with bone pain and deformations.
How are vitamins D dosed correctly?
The exact amount of vitamins D required to support optimal. The Functioning of the body is still the subject of scientific research. It is now believed that the dosage needed could be higher than the amount recommended to keep bones healthy.
However, the knowledge gained in recent years on the diverse effects of vitamins D. Made it clear that the daily intake of vitamins D might not be sufficient. In 2012, the German Nutrition Society set its recommendation of 800 IU vitamins D. (20 μg) daily (if the body does not produce its own vitamins D). For adults and children from the age of one. Other professional societies even recommend higher daily dosages.
Also read: how to open a can without a can opener
