Vitamin D and deficiency in Estonia

Severe vitamin D deficiency plagues Estonians! Although the skin produces vitamin D in summer under the sun’s UVB rays, by the end of summer 73% of Estonians still have a vitamin D deficiency, according to a 2009 University of Tartu study. The reason is that Estonia lies geographically between the 57th and 60th parallels. Because the sun travels low in the sky, its UVB radiation is effective only between 10:00—14:00, and even then cloud cover can limit it.

In recent years, heavy use of sunscreen, which is supposed to protect against skin cancer, has also become widespread. Unfortunately, few people know that sunscreen blocks more of the beneficial UV-B radiation than of the harmful UV-A radiation. So all in all, by applying sunscreen people are actually doing themselves a disservice — the body cannot build up (synthesize) enough vitamin D stores for the winter, and a shortfall develops.

There are two kinds of vitamin D: D2, or ergocalciferol, and D3, or cholecalciferol. What is the difference between them? The difference is that the body absorbs the D3 form 300x better than D2. This means that D2 is practically useless.

Vitamin D: main functions

Vitamin D gives you energy during the dark season — it protects against chronic fatigue syndrome (bags under the eyes), depression and low mood. In addition to the fact that vitamin D deficiency increases resistance to infections, tumors and several metabolic diseases, vitamin D is also linked to normal heart function, blood clotting, a stable nervous system and the maintenance of blood pressure.

With a vitamin D deficiency, the absorption of calcium and its deposition in the bones decrease, as does the renewal of bone tissue. This in turn leads to bone loss and reduced bone density, which raises the risk of fractures. As the situation progresses, osteoporosis develops.

A vitamin D shortfall helps with all skin problems. It eases acne, eczema and psoriasis. Diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis are some examples of autoimmune diseases, which occur when a person’s immune system starts attacking its own tissues. These diseases are linked to vitamin D deficiency, because when the amounts of vitamin D were increased in animal studies, the animals recovered. A vitamin D shortfall in the body promotes an increase in body weight.

How do I know if I have a vitamin D deficiency?

The only way to find out whether you have a deficiency is to have a blood test. There are also symptoms: bone pain, muscle weakness (walking up and down stairs, getting up from a chair). Most people have lived with a vitamin D deficiency for so long that they have come to terms with their situation. They think they are simply meant to feel poorly like this, because they have been in this state for years. They do, however, notice a direct effect and a positive change in their quality of life once they start taking vitamin D tablets.

How many vitamin D tablets should I take?

The State Agency of Medicines allows the sale of vitamin D3 where one tablet contains a maximum of 10 micrograms of cholecalciferol, or 400 IU (international units). This is the maximum amount that is permitted to be brought into Estonia.

Although the European Union’s position (shaped by pharmaceutical companies) is that one tablet a day, or 400 IU, is enough for an adult, impartial scientists and doctors believe that people living at Baltic and Nordic latitudes should take at least 4000 IU, or 10 tablets a day, because an adult male’s body uses up precisely 3000-4000 IU of vitamin D over the course of a day.

But how many IU (international units) of vitamin D your body specifically needs EVERY DAY can only be determined with a blood test (the 25-hydroxyvitamin D test), which shows what your vitamin D level is. Two units of measurement are in use in Estonia: ng/ml and nmol/L. The vitamin D level in your blood and your children’s blood should be above 50 ng/ml (125 nmol/L) year-round.

Where can you get your vitamin D level measured in Estonia?

You can have the blood test done at your family doctor’s as well as at the Diagnostics Centre and at Quattromed laboratories across Estonia (in Tallinn, Tartu, Jõhvi, Viljandi, Kiviõli, Sillamäe).

Author: Elektromagnetkiirgus

Source:Turg.Fitness.ee

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