Should I Take A Vitamin D Supplement?
Sources of Vitamin D
Sun is regarded as the best source of vitamin D. Some of the food sources of vitamin D include:
- Oily fish
- Red meat
- Egg yolks
- Fortified milk
- Beef liver
During the colder months of the year, people turn to vitamin D supplements when the days are dark and cold. Decreased levels of vitamin D isn't just a winter issue. Apart from that, not drinking enough milk and using sunscreen are other reasons for reduced vitamin D levels in people worldwide.
How Much Vitamin D do You Need Each Day?
Adults usually need nearly 400 International units (IU) vitamin every day. This quantity can be fulfilled through sunlight, diet, and adding vitamin D supplements.
How to Fulfil Daily Vitamin D Intake?
The problem is that very few foods have enough vitamin D to fulfil recommended daily intake. Furthermore, sunshine is unreliable and depends on climatic conditions. Resultantly, people relying on fulfilling vitamin D needs through diet and sunlight generally do not exceed 288 IU a day.
Even drinking an 8-ounce glass of milk each day will give you only 100 IU, which is only one-sixth of the amount that adults need.
Why People Need Vitamin D Supplement?
Now, the question arises how can you fulfil the required amount of vitamin D supplements? That's where vitamin D supplements come into play. Adding vitamin D supplements to your daily routine can help you get closer top 400 IU.
Women who averaged around 156 IU by relying on diet only successfully reached 400+ IU by adding vitamin D supplements in their daily routine.
Why are Some Age Groups at A Higher Risk of Low Vitamins D Levels?
Aged people are at a higher risk of developing low vitamin D levels. This happens because of their diet and lifestyle. For instance, take the example of vegans. They have low vitamin D levels because they avoid foods that are rich in vitamin D, such as fish, egg yolk, and dairy products.
Similarly, obese people need vitamin D supplements. The probable reasons for deficiency include a lower dietary intake of vitamin D in obese men. Also, obese men expose less skin to the sun and a decrease in vitamin D's absorption rate among people who have gone through gastric bypass procedures.
Older patients who are at risk of vitamin D deficiency can benefit themselves through the supplements. These supplements can prevent osteomalacia. Osteomalacia is a condition that leads to softening of the bones, which enhances the chances of the fracture occurring.
Who is At a Greater Risk of Developing Vitamin D Deficiency?
Following is a group of people who might be suffering from vitamin D deficiency and are at a greater risk of needing vitamin D to fulfil their daily intake.
- Post-menopausal women
- Obese people
- Breastfeeding mothers
- Pregnant Women
- People suffering from chronic diseases
- People with parathyroid disease
- Individuals suffering from parathyroid disease
How to Know if you are Getting a Subsequent Amount of Vitamin D or not?
Are you concerned about vitamin D levels? Do you want to know are you consuming enough vitamin D or not? Let's find out. Some of the common symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include; feeling tired and achy; however, there are no other common symptoms.
The best way to assess vitamin D deficiency is by consulting your doctor. He may recommend some blood tests to evaluate your vitamin D levels.
Drawbacks of Overdosing on Vitamin D
Consuming more than recommended quantities of vitamin D isn't good at all. Vitamin D is fat-soluble and is stored inside the body. So, it can be harmful if its level goes too high. Taking more than recommended quantities of vitamin D can cause toxicity.
However, there is no need to worry about overdosing if you rely on your diet and sunlight to fulfil your daily vitamin D intake. The problem arises when you overdose on the supplements. Overdosing on vitamin D supplements can cause severe harm and lead to weight loss, anorexia, irregular heartbeats, and excessive urination.
The condition worsens when you end up with excessive calcium absorption, which puts your heart, blood vessels, and kidneys at risk.
Some of the commonly experienced symptoms of vitamin D toxicity include:
- Weakness and tiredness
- Loss of appetite
- Confusion
- Constipation
- Feeling thirsty
- Frequent Urination
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you may have vitamin D toxicity. So, without any delay, consult your doctor and let him know what issues you are facing.
How to Choose the Best Vitamin D supplement?
With so many variants available in the market, selecting the best vitamin D supplement might become difficult for you. However, if you keep certain factors in mind, your selection process will become easier. Here we have mentioned a few things that you must keep in mind while choosing the best vitamin D supplement for yourself.
- The supplement must meet strict quality standards and purity from the manufacturer.
- It should contain essential nutrients.
- The supplement should not contain unnecessary ingredients such as artificial sweeteners or colou
- It should be trusted by healthcare professionals such as doctors and dietitians.
Final Thoughts
Vitamin D is essential for the normal functioning of our body. It performs various functions to make sure that we stay healthy and active. There can be different sources of adding vitamin D in your daily diet, including sunshine, consuming diets rich in vitamin D, and taking vitamin D supplements.
Vitamin D is generally beneficial; however, there are potential side effects of overdosing on vitamin D. Hence, vitamin D supplements should only be taken by people who are low in vitamin D levels and need vitamin D to an average serum level. Also, before stopping vitamin D supplements, make sure that you aren't deficient in vitamin D.
Further Reading
Food Supplements RegulationsReferences
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2912737/
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/
https://www.everydayhealth.com/vitamin-d/you-need-vitamin-d-supplement-everything-know/
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(18)30265-1/fulltext
