Here they are still rarely found, in other countries they are already part of the supermarket range – the mushrooms enriched with vitamin D.
Here they are still rarely found, in other countries they are already part of the supermarket range – the mushrooms enriched with vitamin D. As is known, mushrooms are the only one non-animal source of vitamin D. In addition to them, fatty sea fish, eggs and, in smaller quantities, beef liver and butter also provide the vitamin. Normal cultivated mushrooms contain 2 μg of vitamin D per 100 g of mushrooms. The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) recommends ten times the daily dose, namely 20 μg. Mushroom scientists therefore pondered how the vitamin D content in cultivated mushrooms could be increased. The solution is relatively simple: UV light, i.e. illuminating the crop beds with this component of normal sunlight, stimulates vitamin D production. The mushrooms enriched with vitamins in this way provide the body with 9.6 μg per 100 g of mushrooms. That is already half of the recommended daily amount of vitamins.
Actually, we don’t have to go to one adequate vitamin D supply be careful if we spend enough time outdoors. Just as in the mushrooms, natural sunlight also stimulates the production of this vitamin in our skin. It is therefore often referred to as the sun vitamin. But who spends enough time outdoors? Most Germans spend most of the day in closed rooms. Accordingly, the Robert Koch Institute says that only 44% of adults and 54% of children and adolescents are adequately supplied with vitamin D.
Of course, all the other people don’t get sick right away. But in the long term, a deficiency is bad for the bones. At a young age, an adequate supply of vitamin D lays the foundation for a stable skeleton. Adults who have too little vitamin D are at risk of osteoporosis in old age, which can cause broken bones even with everyday movements. The corona epidemic apparently had a significant impact on vitamin D supply. Older people in particular spent even less time outdoors during this time, their skin was therefore unable to produce much of the vitamin and this circumstance obviously increased the risk of contracting corona. Both the US National Institute of Health and the British counterpart therefore recommended that people in particular who are at high risk of developing the disease should be adequately supplied with the vitamin. Because there seems to be a clear correlation between Vitamin D deficiency and the Severity of the Covid courses. In particular, the risk of acute lung failure appears to be significantly increased.
But that’s not all: there is a lot to suggest that a sufficient vitamin D level makes us sick less often – a property that is usually attributed to vitamin C. Deficient supply of the vitamin is considered a risk factor for developing Parkinson’s disease. There is evidence that vitamin D has a lowering effect on high blood pressure. It is uncertain whether vitamin D protects against heart disease. The DGE considers a connection between heart disease and vitamin D deficiency to be possible. On top of that, clinical studies say that vitamin D supplements during cancer therapy can reduce the mortality rate by 13%. The German Cancer Research Center calculated from this that up to 30,000 deaths per year could be avoided and more than 300,000 years of life could be gained by supplementing with vitamin D in all over 50-year-olds.
Good reasons so, always on a good one supply of vitamin D must be observed. Of course, this can be achieved by taking vitamin D supplements. Much more enjoyable is the consumption of vitamin D-enriched mushrooms. The German Society for Nutrition gives them good marks: “In healthy adults, they can significantly improve the vitamin D status,” says DGE spokeswoman Silke Restemeyer in an article by Stiftung Warentest.
So reaching for the vitamin D-enriched mushrooms is a good choice – especially for those who work full-time under artificial light, for couch potatoes and senior citizens. (GMH/BDC)