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Vitamin D Deficiency

Fatigue, headaches, and dizziness indicate a vitamin D deficiency. Around 40 percent of all Germans have a slight vitamin D deficiency, and around two percent of all adults suffer from a severe vitamin D deficiency. If left untreated, the risk of developing decalcification of the bones (osteomalacia) increases. Everything you need to know about vitamin D deficiency.

How do I identify a vitamin D deficiency?

The most common symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include:

  • bone or muscle pain
  • constant tiredness
  • headache
  • dizziness
  • increased susceptibility to infection

What forms of vitamin D are there?

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that comes in several forms. The two most important are vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol). Vitamin D2 is a plant-based vitamin D and only enters the human body through plant-based foods. Vitamin D3, on the other hand, is ingested through animal foods, but can also be formed in the human skin itself with the help of UV-B radiation from sunlight.

It is estimated that around 80 percent of vitamin D requirements are covered by production in the skin. No intensive sunbathing is necessary for this; even a short stay in the sun is enough. Since there is less sun in winter, the body stores vitamin D mainly in fat and muscle tissue, which was formed in summer to compensate for the vitamin D deficiency in the sunless months.

In the body, the liver first converts vitamin D into another form, 25-hydroxyvitamin D. From this, an active form of the vitamin is then formed in the kidneys, which act like a hormone in the body and regulate various important processes. These include, above all, the regulation of calcium and phosphate metabolism, in which vitamin D, for example, ensures that calcium is absorbed from the small intestine into the blood.

This in turn is important for many vital functions, for example, it promotes mineralization and hardening of the bones. Vitamin D can also have a protective effect on the immune system and has an impact on muscle strength.

How do I diagnose a vitamin D deficiency?

The blood test to check the vitamin D level is not covered by health insurance. The only exception: is if there is a suspicion of an illness caused by vitamin D deficiency, the costs of 25 to 30 euros will be covered. Which vitamin D level is normal? Our serum vitamin D level should ideally be around 30-80 ng/ml. Values ​​below 30 ng/ml are considered a vitamin D deficiency – and should be compensated for immediately with high-dose preparations.

What can I do against a vitamin D deficiency?

In the sunny months of the year, the daily requirement for vitamin D can be covered by the skin’s vitamin D production alone if you stay outdoors regularly. However, the German Society for Nutrition (DGE) recommends a daily intake of 20 micrograms (μg) of vitamin D through food.

This value is not reached by most Germans: on average, men take in only 2.9 μg and women only 2.2 μg of vitamin D through food. In children, the intake of food is even lower.

Good sources of vitamin D are oily fish such as herring, eel, salmon, or mackerel, but also mushrooms such as button mushrooms, porcini mushrooms, and chanterelles. Eggs, butter, margarine, and milk also contain vitamin D, but in smaller amounts.

Vitamin D deficiency – who is particularly at risk?

In Germany, about 40 percent of all residents have a slight vitamin D deficiency. Men and women are equally affected. About two percent of all adults and up to four percent of all children between the ages of 3 and 17 suffer from a severe vitamin D deficiency. In principle, the vitamin D concentrations depend on the season: they are lower in winter when there is little sun than in summer.

Older people are also among the risk groups for vitamin D deficiency, as the skin’s ability to form vitamin D decreases with age. Dark-skinned people are also more likely to be vitamin D deficient than light-skinned people because melanin (the brown skin pigment) impedes vitamin D production.

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Written by Ashley Wright

I am a Registered Nutritionist-Dietitian. Shortly after taking and passing the licensure examination for Nutritionist-Dietitians, I pursued a Diploma in Culinary Arts, so I am also a certified chef. I decided to supplement my license with a study in the culinary arts because I believe that it will help me harness the best of my knowledge with real-world applications that can help people. These two passions form part and parcel of my professional life, and I am excited to work with any project that involves food, nutrition, fitness, and health.

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