Welcome to our new video! In this video, I will introduce you to some curiosities about vitamin D. During the video we will talk about the following topics: What does vitamin D do?, What are the recommended levels of vitamin D?, How to increase vitamin D levels?, What are the symptoms that your vitamin D levels are low? and Can excess vitamin D be harmful? Get ready to learn amazing things about this vitamin and surprise your friends with these interesting facts.
What does vitamin D do?
Vitamin D has an important role in the absorption of calcium. Therefore, the shortage of this vitamin can cause bone diseases, such as: osteoporosis, osteomalacia and rickets. In addition to that, it also has an important role in the immune, muscular and nervous systems. Being a fat-soluble vitamin, it is better absorbed with a meal that has fat. Low vitamin D concentration may also increase the risk of depression.
What are the recommended levels of vitamin D?
The levels of this vitamin are measured through a blood test. In the table, you can see the recommended levels of vitamin D according to age.
How to increase vitamin D levels?
One can increase their vitamin D levels in 3 ways: through the skin, supplements, and diet. The skin is capable of producing vitamin D when it is exposed to the sun, but care must also be taken because extensive exposure of the skin to the sun can cause a series of health problems, such as cancer or skin aging. That is why the application of sunscreens is recommended, even decreasing the production of the vitamin.
Foods High in Vitamin D
Foods such as liver, egg yolks, and saltwater fish are rich in vitamin D. The fish that contain this most are salmon, trout, mackerel, and tuna. Some cereals and milk are fortified with this vitamin, including milk of vegetable origin (almonds, oats and soy). A curiosity is that wild salmon contains more vitamin D than captivity.
You can also take vitamin D supplements. It is important to consult a doctor to find out what amounts you need. These supplements may contain only vitamin D or combine it with other vitamins or minerals. There are two types of vitamin D supplements: D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol). D3 could further increase the amounts of this vitamin.
What are the symptoms that your vitamin D levels are low?
Normally older people, people with dark skin, breast-feeding babies, people with liver disease, Crohn's disease, celiac disease and cystic fibrosis, people with obesity or who have undergone gastric surgery, people who live in areas with low solar incidence and cloudy weather. and people who are not usually exposed to the sun.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a degenerative disease that affects the nerves. Fewer cases of this disease have been observed in areas with higher exposure to sunlight, such as regions near the equator. But clinical studies have not found that taking vitamin D supplements prevented the worsening or recurrence of symptoms.
Can excess vitamin D be harmful?
When you have too high levels of this vitamin in your body (more than 150 ng/mL), you may have the following symptoms: vomiting, nausea, confusion, muscle weakness, pain, dehydration, loss of appetite, excessive urination and thirst, and kidney stones. Very high concentrations can cause actual failure, arrhythmia, and even death.
A curious fact is that the skin can limit the amount of production of this vitamin so that it is not exceeded. So when you have vitamin D levels that are too high, you tend to take too many dietary supplements.
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