Vitamin D is used along with calcium and phosphate in the formation and maintenance of bones . Scientists believe that in spring and summer an exposure of 10 to 20 minutes a day is sufficient. In summer, the body produces about 10,000 IU of vitamin D in 20 minutes. On the other hand, in winter, often more than 2 hours of exposure to the sun per day are necessary, but not everyone reaches this duration.
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient for our bodies, yet many of us lack it. Fortunately, dietary supplements fortified with vitamin D can help us fill that gap and reap its many health benefits.
First, vitamin D helps boost our immune system , which protects us against disease and infection. It also plays a key role in the fixity of calcium in the bones , which makes it a valuable ally in preventing osteoporosis and fractures.
In addition to its benefits for bones, vitamin D can also improve our mood and help us fight depression. It can also reduce the risk of heart disease , diabetes, and even certain types of cancer.
Finally, vitamin D supplements are very easy to take and integrate into your daily routine. You can take them as capsules, tablets, or even a mouth spray. They are also available in different doses, to suit your individual needs.
In summary, vitamin D supplements are a smart choice for improving your health and well-being. So why not incorporate them into your routine today? Your body will thank you!
Vitamin D or calciferol is a fat- soluble vitamin (soluble in fats: lipids). It is a hormone found in food and synthesized in the upper layers of the epidermis of the human body from a derivative of cholesterol under the action of UVB 1 radiation from the Sun. Theoretically, exposure to the sun makes it possible to cover 80 to 90% of the necessary vitamin D intake and food, the remaining 10 to 20%.
In humans it exists in two forms: D2 ( ergocalciferol ) produced by plants or D3 ( cholecalciferol ) of animal origin.
Vitamin D is the anti- rachitic vitamin par excellence. It is essential for bone growth and contributes to the correct functioning of our immune defences.
Vitamin D may have a protective role against severe forms of Covid-19 , a new infectious disease linked to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. As such, it can be taken as a preventive treatment. According to the National Academy of Medicine: vitamin D "plays a role in regulating and suppressing the cytokine inflammatory response that causes the acute respiratory distress syndrome that characterizes the severe and often lethal forms of Covid-19". (source: press release ).
Moreover, a recent French scientific study (1) demonstrated that the majority of the French population needed vitamin D supplementation . Changes in eating habits over several decades are responsible for this observation: modern food no longer provides a sufficient quantity of vitamin D to meet the needs of our body.
(1) According to the results of the INCA 2 study (National Individual Study of Food Consumption 2-2006-2007). ANSES, 2015 (Request No. 2012-SA-0142).
Its deficiency is observed in certain young children, but also in the elderly who no longer expose themselves to the sun.
7-dehydrocholesterol is a lipid substance in the skin converted to vitamin D by sunlight , specifically UVB. You should know that sunscreens absorb a very large quantity of these UVBs, which greatly reduces the synthesis of vitamin D, as well as melanin (tanning) which screens this synthesis. Conclusion: exposing yourself with sunscreens does not fill the dose of vitamin D. However, you must protect yourself from the sun to avoid skin cancer .
Vitamin D deficiency can cause :
Hypervitaminosis can cause :
It is mainly found in the following food sources :
Vitamin D specialists do not recommend a particular intake time. In contrast, a 2014 study from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics * showed that supplementing vitamin D3 with a meal can aid absorption of this vitamin. This study shows that the absorption of vitamin D is greater when the food supplement is taken with a meal containing fatty acids (preferably of vegetable origin).
“Vitamin D3 is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means that it dissolves in a fatty substance. The absorption process is similar to that of dietary fat. In fact, the digestion of a fatty substance stimulates the secretion of bile by encouraging the formation of micelles, small structures which transport this fatty substance and vitamin D3 towards the intestinal absorption surface promoting their assimilation ,” says Dr. Bess Dawson-Hughes , Scientist at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University (USA), author of this study.
It is therefore strongly advised to take vitamin D during a meal in order to facilitate the absorption of this vitamin.
* Source: Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Published online ahead of print, doi:“Dietary Fat Increases Vitamin D-3 Absorption” Authors: B. Dawson-Hughes, SS Harris, AH Lichtenstein, G. Dolnikowski, NJ Palermo, H. Rasmussen.
Vitamin D is fat soluble, that is, it dissolves in fat. It exists in two forms:
Vitamin D3 plays an important role in calcification by allowing good absorption of calcium in the intestinal mucosa, and by increasing the concentration of calcium and phosphorus in the blood. It promotes the fixation of calcium on the bones, and contributes to the good mineralization of the skeleton, the joints and the teeth.
Nerve transmission and muscle contraction also depend on calcium and therefore on vitamin D.
Vitamin D3 is also an ally of our immune system . In winter, the body's vitamin D3 stores decrease with sunshine.
