Everything you need to know about Vitamin D

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In winter, we spend more hours in closed than open environments and when we go out into the street we do it covered with coats, scarves and hats, and in summer when faced with the risk of suffering from skin cancer we smear ourselves with creams with a high protection factor, hide the Children under umbrellas and the elderly stop going outside due to excessive heat. Are we confusing protection with concealment?

Our collaborator AMLSPORT, tells us in this article all there is to know about vitamin D

Myth or Reality? Does solar energy affect our health and well-being?

The ultraviolet rays are essential for our health. However, the alarm created by dermatologists about the negative effects from aggressive exposures, we have passed without realizing, to adopt more and more a lifestyle less direct to sunlight. In winter, we spend more hours in closed than open environments and when we go out into the street we do it covered with coats, scarves and hats, and in summer when faced with the risk of suffering from skin cancer we smear ourselves with creams with a high protection factor, hide the Children under umbrellas and the elderly stop going outside due to excessive heat. Are we confusing protection with concealment?

Is this the reason why there is more and more vitamin D deficit?

Vitamin D or sun, is considered both a vitamin and a hormone since the 90% is synthesized by the body itself and only the 10% comes from the feed. The creation process originates from the interaction of a cholesterol metabolite (7-dehydrocholesterol), present in the liver, with the UV rays of the dermis. This process gives rise to a new molecule, vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol.

There are two main forms of vitamin D; On the one hand, colecalciferol or vitamin D3, discussed above, from cholesterol and synthesized in organisms animals, and, on the other hand, ergocalciferol or vitamin D2 coming from sources vegetables.

The contribution through food is not essential provided there is adequate exposure to sunlight and the body covers the levels from the endogenous synthesis itself.

The main populations at risk are hospitalized patients, children, pregnant women and adults over 50 years, since after that age the capacity for synthesis decreases considerably.

How much sunshine is necessary?

WHO considers sufficient, in the countries of the northern hemisphere,na exhibition between 15 and 20 daily minutes three times a week. Is fulfilled? It may seem paradoxical, but in Spain, despite being one of the countries with more hours of light Europe, an 80% of the population tIt has a deficit in vitamin D. That is why it is recommended keep this information in mind especially during the winter, time when the lack is accentuated considerably. In addition, it should be borne in mind that dark skin with a high melanin content should be exposed to daylight for longer than clear skin to obtain the same synthesis of vitamin D3.

What to do if there is a deficit?

If a deficit is observed in a blood test, it must first be enhance exposure to the sun and the contribution to food, and in turn, reinforce insufficiency by taking supplementation since it is the fastest and most effective option. Risk values ​​are those lower than 20 ng / ml.

Is there a risk of toxicity?

The answer is yes. Vitamin D is double-edged sword because it is a fat-soluble vitamin, that is, with capacity to be stored in the fatty and liver tissue.

This positive factor in life situations where there is an increase in demand (pregnancy, growth, old age), It can become highly harmful when prolonged supplementation is taken. However, it should be noted that this risk does not exist if the contribution is due to solar exposure. Well, one of the functions of melatonin, the pigment responsible for the color of the skin, is to prevent toxicity from this vitamin.

In the table presented below are described the functions, symptoms of deficit and toxicity, and dietary guidelines that can help reinforce the deficit naturally.

Further information: http://www.amlsport.com/