Vitamin D: How You Can Help Your Body with Its Production

During the darker periods of the year, our bodies’ vitamin D storage goes empty. Since there is a lack of sunlight, which the skin needs to produce the organic substance, our bodies compensate for the resulting deficiency - ultimately, vitamin D plays a key role in our health.

Every person relies on vitamin D - it makes sure the body can absorb calcium and incorporate it into the bones. At the same time, vitamin D is said to counteract chronic illnesses like cancer and diabetes, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disease, infections, and Alzheimer’s, perhaps through cell regulation.

UV rays activate vitamin D production

Humans are lucky to be able to produce vitamin D in their skin naturally, with the help of sunlight. UV rays encourage the skin to produce the pre-vitamin D3. After further metabolic processes, the product is vitamin D, which the body stores over the course of months.

Even 15 to 20 minutes of sun on a regular basis is enough to cover up to 90 percent of your vitamin D requirements. We typically build up the rest through our diet.

The problem: the light goes missing in the winter!

On bright days, it’s not particularly hard to keep one’s endogenous vitamin D levels at a high level. During the snowy and rainy seasons you can sometimes go weeks without seeing the sun, which can quickly become a problem.

Counteracting vitamin D deficiency – but how?

If we’re running on a low supply of vitamin D for longer periods, we have to supplement it. One option is eating more foods with high vitamin D content. This could be in fat-rich foods, such as: herring, mackerel, salmon, tuna, redfish, liver, egg yolk, butter, cream, and enriched margarine, as well as button mushrooms, porcinis, and chanterelles. However, food in typical portions only fills a maximum of roughly 20 percent of the reservoir.

Nevertheless, reputable experts and institutions advise against trips to the tanning salon to absorb UV rays. This would only unnecessarily increase the risk of contracting skin cancer.

Have your doctor determine your vitamin levels

Only a doctor can determine how high the vitamin D content is in your blood. According to the latest research, sustaining a value above 30 nanograms per milliliter is considered optimal. Taking vitamin D supplements in a pill form should be supervised by a physician - the consequences of a vitamin D overdose can include the formation of kidney stones or a kidney calcification.