Vitamin D supplementation is important, but not only in winter. Many of us generally have a vitamin D deficiency. A number of questions arise, like how does one gain more vitamin D? Which form is the right one? The good news is that it is not difficult to find the right vitamin D – even for vegans.
Today, we know that vitamin D levels are deficient for many people, even in summer due to voluntary or involuntary sun abstinence. Those who spend their days mainly in the office, at school, at the desk, or indoors, lacks opportunities for vitamin D formation. Sun protection, whether as clothing or cream, not only protects against UV rays, but also prevents the formation of vitamin D in the skin.
Especially in the cold months, Vitamin D reduces the risk for infections of all kinds.
If you are simply looking for a suitable vitamin D preparation, you are quickly faced with a confusing range of products: different dosages; liquid, as a tablet, as a capsule; intake once a day to once a month; vitamin D2 or vitamin D3. What should you choose?
Here is a short rundown of what you should pay attention to:
Dosage: Vitamin D is given in international units (I.U.) or in µg. Both units of measurement are common. 1 µg corresponds to 40 I.E. vitamin D; 1.I.E. corresponds to 0.025 µg. Products for daily supplementation on the market contain from 400 I.U. to 5,000 I.U. medicines are higher.
A sensible daily intake is at least between 1,000 and 2,000 I.U., although there are different opinions. The DACH nutrition societies recommend 800 I.U. per day (20 µg/day). In the opinion of many experts who deal with vitamin D, this is not enough, especially not if there are already deficient vitamin D levels. Specialists recommend supplementation depending on body weight. Values of 50 I.U. per kg body weight are given here. That would be 3,000 IU (75 µg) for a person weighing 60 kg and 4,000 IU (100 µg) for a person weighing 80 kg. Anyone who has a proven deficiency, (laboratory measurement) needs higher dosages until normal serum values are reached. Consultation with a doctor is advisable.
Daily, weekly, or monthly: Since vitamin D is fat-soluble, it can be stored in the body. It is therefore also possible to take vitamin D “in stock”, e.g. in high doses once a week. There is the opinion among experts that a regularly low intake is cheaper, since a high intake can overtax the intake mechanisms. Ultimately, it is a question of personal preference whether 2,000 IU are used daily, 14,000 IU weekly or even higher dosages monthly. Mainly serum levels remain constant above 75 nmol/l (equivalent to 30 ng/ml)
Liquid, capsule, or tablet: The dosage form for vitamin D is actually irrelevant. However, it is always worth taking a look at the list of ingredients and the other ingredients listed next to the active ingredient cholecalciferol (or ergocalciferol). For tableting and tablets, technical additives are needed which are hidden behind E numbers and which are not always uncontroversial. Here it must be ensured that the preparation is produced according to the pure substance principle, i.e. without undesirable additives.
Vitamin D3 or vitamin D2: Vitamin D is available as cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) or ergocalciferol (vitamin D2). The latter is the plant version, which is usually obtained from fungi. Vegans prefer D2 because vitamin D3 is produced from the lanolin of sheep wool. However, studies show that D3 works much better. A study shows that vitamin D3 increases serum levels twice as much as vitamin D2, and the good news for vegans is that vitamin D3 is now also available from lichens.
The correlation of poor vitamin D levels with all conceivable diseases is currently being published in studies. But it’s actually simple to combat the problem – go on vacation! Otherwise, supplement with extra vitamin D and many good products are available.
