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Scientists are discovering new facts about vitamin D3 and its relationship to various diseases.
Vitamin D (also known as cholecalciferol) not only strengthens bones but also protects against some cancers, diabetes, heart disease and even well-known depression.
Doctors advise you not to wait for the insidious diseases to disappear. You should check your vitamin D3 levels when you are tired, have muscle weakness, or have muscle pain of unknown cause.
The deficiency of cholecalciferol in children results in deformation of bones, dental growth, and stains in tooth enamel. Adults have weakened muscles and bones and weakened immunity. It is easy to see that especially in spring you have to deal with severe burnout, weakened bones, and poor posture. All of these may be related to vitamin D deficiency.
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Vitamin D deficiency in winter and spring
Vitamin D (also known as cholecalciferol) is a group of fat-soluble substances that are classified as vitamins. It is divided into D1, D2, D3, and D4. D2 and D3 are important for the human body. They are obtained in two ways: through food and exposure to sunlight. When the body receives enough sunlight, it produces this vitamin itself.
Chairwoman of the board of the Medical Diagnostic and Laboratory Research Association, doctors say the prevailing diets, nor the dark, northern latitude, can provide the right amount of cholecalciferol.
Spaniards, Italians, or Greeks still receive enough sunlight throughout the year, and some countries are so far from the equator that our skin does not produce cholecalciferol at all during the dark months of October to March.
Fall, and in spring the consequences are most felt. Statistics also show this. According to the data of Lithuanian medical research laboratories, as many as 88% of Lithuanians who underwent a blood test in January-March this year were diagnosed with vitamin D3 deficiency.
Sources and Importance of Vitamin D
If the sun is low, cholecalciferol can be obtained with food, especially when eating oily fish. Many northern countries do just that – they include fish abundantly in their diets. In the United Kingdom, specially prepared cod with peas and fries is on the list of top national dishes.
Scandinavians are particularly fond of salmon dishes. It seems like a long-standing way of living in the dark, maintaining vitamin D levels and protecting against diseases, which has been rooted in some national traditions. As a northern people, eating too few fish dishes is very important to monitor and maintain vitamin levels.
This year, a scientific conference on “Vitamin D. Diagnostic and Clinical Practice Opportunities” was held in various cities, where medical practitioners found the benefits of tracking and regulating vitamin D levels unquestionable.
Cholecalciferol is involved in many processes in the body and is one of the most important substances in the body that has not been properly evaluated so far. Not only is it a cause of rickets, it also affects many cancers, both types of diabetes, various immune systems, even depression or Alzheimer’s.
By adjusting the amount of cholecalciferol in the body, mortality from certain diseases is reduced, especially from colon cancer and ischemic heart disease.
What To Do If You Have Vitamin D Deficiency?
The best way to know if your body has enough vitamin D3 is to have a blood test without waiting for the first symptoms of the disease. When the bones are thin, the vitamin D3 test is too late. You should not wait for the situation to worsen, but always be aware of the vitamin D level and, if lacking, take steps to replenish it.
“In cases where a defect is detected, it is worth spending less time indoors or in the car and spending more time in front of the sun. It is also important to allow the sun’s rays to penetrate the skin and produce cholecalciferol before applying sunscreen.
This would be enough to be without the cream for at least 15 minutes before the sun is exposed to at least a quarter of your body. It is best to do this during the peak, i.e. from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunscreens are more needed by Southerners who need to guard against melanoma and skin cancer, but people should still be at least a part of the day without them. Especially since it is impossible to overdose on vitamin D3 with the sun.
In this way, the body produces only what it needs and stores fat and muscle. In other cases, vitamin D3 supplements and dietary supplements are necessary.
Objectives of the Vitamin D 25 (OH) assay
According to doctors, in some cases there may be excess vitamin D. Children, slender people and especially slim people are at greater risk. Unfortunately, while there are virtually no signs of cholecalciferol overdose, one does not feel anything at all in the presence of too much cholecalciferol. When vitamin D levels are too high, too much calcium is found in the blood. This results in lime blood vessels, kidney stones may form.
The purpose of the Vitamin D 25 (OH) test is not to detect this vitamin deficiency but to overdose. This study has been carried out in the world for several decades, but in northern countries, it is still a novelty in medical diagnostic practice.
