Do you really need to take vitamin D for Optimal Health?
Winter is coming, the gray weather, the days getting longer, the time has come to stock up on vitamins! Today we take stock of one of them: vitamin D!
In You Are Great, experts enlighten you on everyday topics. Today, it is Doctor Baptiste Jauneau who talks to us about vitamin D to prepare well to approach the approaching winter in great shape.
We should also speak of a hormone rather than a vitamin because of its action in various metabolisms in the body. Its main role: bone mineralization. For this it intervenes at the level of several organs: it facilitates the absorption of calcium at the level of the intestine, activates its reabsorption at the level of the kidneys, and it allows the good fixation of calcium on the bones. It therefore has a very important role during childhood for growth, then throughout life to keep our skeleton healthy.
It also plays a role in other body metabolisms: the proper functioning of muscles, the nervous system and even the immune system.
Vitamin D is synthesized, produced directly by the body. By the skin to be precise, thanks to the UV rays of the sun. It is considered that we synthesize 2/3 of the vitamin D that we use, the remaining 1/3 being provided by food.
In what foods? The famous cod liver oil, which used to be given to children for growth and against rickets. In fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, herring. In egg yolks, dairy products or butter. Certain mushrooms such as chanterelles, porcini mushrooms or morels. Finally, many food manufacturers enrich certain products such as dairy products or oils with vitamin D.
In Western countries: more than 40% of the population over 50 and 80% of the elderly present a vitamin D deficiency. The intake of vitamin D through food is – as we have seen – far from be sufficient: foods rich in vitamin D are few in number, little consumed, or even sometimes excluded by certain diets.
And above all, the synthesis by the skin of vitamin D can be very quickly impacted by many parameters:
Latitude and season: In some regions, sunshine is insufficient for a good synthesis of vitamin D. This is even more the case in autumn and winter.
Age: the aging of the skin decreases and makes the production of vitamin D less efficient.
Skin color : highly pigmented skin is protected from UV rays but also has more difficulty producing vitamin D.
Physical inactivity (less sun exposure), obesity, pollution, clothing also play a role.
In fact, the recommendations focus on certain categories of people, for whom a vitamin D deficiency could have serious or disease-causing consequences.
The children: For growth and the fight against rickets, vitamin D intake is recommended from 0 to 18 years old!
Old people : with aging, the bones demineralize, become porous, more fragile. We talk about osteoporosis with a risk of fracture.
Pregnant women : for the proper development and growth of the fetus.
Postmenopausal women: The resulting hormonal changes impact bone metabolism and can be a source of osteoporosis.
Supplementation may also be of interest, outside of these categories, if several risk factors for vitamin D deficiency are combined.
Thus, if he has not already done so, do not hesitate to talk about it with his doctor, his pediatrician or his gynecologist to judge the need for a possible substitution. Vitamin D is prescribed as a drop to be taken every day, or as an ampoule for a monthly or quarterly intake.
This is also a possibility! But beware, they are often very concentrated in vitamin D and are therefore more at risk of overdose in the event of errors in intake. The best thing is to go see your doctor, who will be able to determine the right dosage and the right frequency according to your needs and your state of health. In addition, prescription treatments are covered by social security.
Find your new appointment with the Health Expert once a month in You are great on France 3 Centre-Val de Loire and in replay on the france.tv platform.
