What is vitamin D good for?
Until recently, vitamin D was primarily associated with the bone health and muscle health connected. Today we know that, in addition to osteoporosis, a deficiency can promote many other diseases, from Alzheimer’s and diabetes to heart attacks and cancer. Prevention physician and author Prof. Dr. Jörg Spitz explains: “Since vitamin D is the precursor of a hormone that practically all cells need for their metabolism, there is almost no process in the body that is not affected by a deficiency. This applies to the nerve cells of the brain as well as to the cells of the muscles or the immune system.”
The great strength of vitamin D consists above all in to avoid chronic diseases or to influence it positively over time. There are numerous studies on this. For example, a 30-year Finnish study showed that newborns who received high doses of vitamin D in the first year of life had a 78 percent lower risk of developing type 1 diabetes.
A recent study from Denmark suggests a connection between genetic vitamin D deficiency and a lower life expectancy. Canadian scientists were able to prove that the lower the vitamin D level, the more pronounced a depressive mood occurs. A Japanese study found that taking high doses of vitamin D every day reduced the risk of contracting influenza A by 42 percent.
Vitamin D: Correct dosage through tablets?
So what dose is sensible and effective? The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) drastically increased the reference values for daily intake some time ago. She now recommends 800 IU. The Osteology umbrella organization (DVO) has also adjusted its guidelines and recommends up to 2000 IU. In what form is up to you. In principle, an overdose is also conceivable. However, even taking 10,000 IU daily for five months did not result in an overdose in a US study.
Pharmacist Uwe Gröber from the Academy for Micronutrient Medicine reassured: “In general, you are not doing anything wrong if you regularly take an additional 1000 to 2000 IU of vitamin D as a supplement, at least during the winter months.” You can get the daily ration in tablet form in the drugstore (e.g. “tetesept Vitamin D3 1000” ) or in the pharmacy as granules for on the go (“Viganolette Sticks”). You can also just suck one gel tab per week (“Vitamin D-loges 5600 IU”). A single intake of 10,000 IU increases the blood level by 1 ng/ml. In long-term therapy, the level increases by 10 ng/ml after a few months if you take 1000 IU daily.
Tipp: First, have your blood levels of vitamin D determined. This IGeL service costs around 30 euros at the doctor’s office – as much as a test set for use at home (available at www.cerascreen.de). Here, too, a specialist laboratory evaluates your blood sample (a drop!). In spring you can check the success of your self-medication with a new test.
What Happens When You Take Too Much Vitamin D?
Calcium levels increase when a person consumes too much vitamin D. Doctors speak of a so-called hypercalcemia. Too much vitamin D in the blood can lead to the following symptoms:
- acute nausea
- loss of appetite
- Stomach cramps
- Vomit
In particularly serious cases, kidney damage and cardiac arrhythmias can occur. This can lead to unconsciousness and – in extreme rare cases – even lead to the death of a person.
Which dishes have vitamin D?
In the following we present two recipes with an extra portion of vitamin D. Have fun cooking!