For those who are physically and mentally exhausted due to the heat wave, there is no better remedy than the autumn sunlight. Compared to summer, the intensity of UV rays is lower in autumn than in summer and the temperature is moderately warm. When you sit in the sun on a cold day, your mind and body are stabilized and vitamin D synthesis is promoted to keep you healthy.
Vitamin D | Source: Getty Images Bank
Vitamin D to help with seasonal health
Vitamin D is a nutrient synthesized when UV rays contact the skin and helps prevent various diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. In addition, it helps the body absorb calcium and transports substances called parathyroid hormone and calcitonin, produced in the parathyroid gland, to the bone marrow along with calcium, which contribute greatly to health bones. It also strengthens the immune system, which tends to decline during the changing seasons. That’s why vitamin D is called the sunshine vitamin and the immunity vitamin.
On the other hand, vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of acquired rickets, which disfigures the head, chest, and leg bones. Vitamin D deficiency also affects emotions, which can lead to depression by reducing the secretion of hormones associated with positive emotions, such as serotonin.
In order to prevent various diseases and maintain mental health, it is necessary to help the synthesis of vitamin D by basking in the sun regularly during the changing seasons.
Advice on Vitamin D Deficiency
Korea is a vitamin D deficient country. Vitamin D deficiency is particularly prominent among the elderly, office workers and students. Lack of outdoor activities is the main reason. Elderly people who have difficulty going outside due to mobility difficulties, students and office workers who spend the whole day indoors can suffer from vitamin D deficiency because it is difficult to get in contact with the sun often. Likewise, the sunscreen we often use also causes vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D can be supplemented through food intake such as dairy products or eggs, but vitamin D intake through food has a low absorption rate in the body, so the efficiency should be reconsidered. Vitamin D deficiency can be prevented by consuming vitamin D in the form of health functional foods (nutrients) with concentrated active ingredients as well as food.
What are the criteria for choosing vitamin D supplements?
As the problem of vitamin D deficiency came to light, nutritional supplements were launched with greater efficacy and content. Recently, high content vitamin D that meets the recommended daily amount of vitamin D (4,000 UI) with just one intake has been under the spotlight. It is worth considering taking good nutritional supplements as they are hard to come by at times. In addition, products that can be consumed as snacks such as liquid vitamin D, orange-flavored vitamin D, and soft gelatin capsules and reduce the burden of swallowing (texture) specific to nutritional supplements receive favorable reviews. .
However, as vitamin D is fat soluble, if you take more than 30,000 IU per day for a long time, it can build up in the body and cause side effects.
