Vitamin D plays an essential role in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. It thus contributes to the consolidation of the bones, the good mineralization of the teeth and strengthens the immune tissue. But to fulfill its missions, it greatly needs sunlight. Until requiring a cure in the fall?
Admittedly, vitamin D can be provided by food: mainly by fatty fish (cod liver, herring, mackerel), offal, butter, large quantities of egg yolk, whole milk. But the simplest way to cover your daily needs remains more surely that of the sun’s rays which promote its synthesis in the skin: 15 to 20 minutes at the end of the morning or in the afternoon and you ensure your body an adequate daily intake of vitamin D!
Certain populations appear particularly at risk in the event of a deficiency. Like the elderly. Because the “capacity of the body to absorb or synthesize vitamin D decreases with age”, pleads the National Food Safety Agency (Anses), which adds that “a low intake of vitamin D can result in osteoporosis.
The special case of newborns
“Newborns, infants, pregnant women, postmenopausal women, whose hormonal upheaval leads to bone demineralization thus increasing the risk of fracture, and people with dull or dark skin, for whom the synthesis of this vitamin by ‘exposure to the sun is less effective’, are also part of the populations at risk.
Does this mean that a cure is essential, for the latter, in autumn as in winter? ANSES insists: “It is possible to ensure a satisfactory vitamin D status by exposure to the sun, by practicing physical activity in the open air for example, and food, by ensuring that the products rich in vitamin D are part of the diet”. Nevertheless, for certain populations “such as newborns, additional vitamin D intake is necessary to ensure satisfactory status”.
It should also be remembered that “the use of food supplements containing vitamin D can lead to excessively high intakes and cause hypercalcemia, i.e. too high a level of calcium in the blood, leading to calcification of certain tissues, and cardiological and renal consequences.Beyond hypercalcemia, excess vitamin D intake can cause other disorders such as headaches, nausea, vomiting, weight loss or fatigue intense”. In any case, it is best to seek advice from your doctor before considering a cure.