As the famous “sunshine vitamin”, the more widely known label of vitamin D is calcium supplement and bone strengthening. In fact, regulating mood is also one of the specialties of vitamin D.
Have you ever had a similar feeling: when the weather is cold, people tend to become lazy and negative. This kind of weakness and depression in the body may be a manifestation of a lack of vitamin D.
What is the relationship between the body’s vitamin D content and the season?
Insufficient vitamin D may cause depression
Nursing scientists at Loyola University in Chicago found that vitamin D has shown significant health benefits in the prevention and treatment of many chronic diseases, including depression and other mental disorders. The lack of vitamin D may lead to emotional depression.
Researchers from the Institute of Clinical Medicine at the University of Oslo in Norway also found that the vitamin D content in patients with depression is often lower. The results of the study showed that the more severe the depressive symptoms, the lower the vitamin D content in the body.
In contrast, researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University in the United States found that the more vitamin D, the more energetic a person.
After considering other factors that may affect cardiorespiratory health (such as age, gender, race, body mass index, smoking history, history of high blood pressure and diabetes, etc.), this association still exists.
Vitamin D is more likely of shortage in autumn and winter
Little exposure to the sun is the number one cause of vitamin D deficiency. Most of the vitamin D in our body needs to be synthesized by the skin after sun exposure.
Studying or working indoors for a long time, do not like to go outdoors, even if you go out, you have to use an umbrella, apply sunscreen, and the influence of haze, will affect the intimate contact between the human body and the sun.
In the cold season, even if they do not apply sunscreen, most people will wrap themselves tightly, reducing the chance of contact with the sun;
In the warm season, there are not many people who “store” little vitamin D, and the shortage will become more serious.
Feeling depressed, especially in winter, may be your body reminding you: It’s time to supplement vitamin D. Zuo Xiaoxia said that a blood test can determine whether vitamin D is lacking, and it can be tested once a year in a physical examination.
Deficiency Vitamin D will also have these typical manifestations: inflammation often occurs or it is not easy to get better after infection; always feel tired; joint pain, limb weakness; muscle pain.
Who are prone to vitamin D deficiency
According to statistics, about 1 billion people in the world lack vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency mainly occurs in people who are under sun exposure and lack of food sources, especially infants and young children, housewives, and the elderly.
In addition, gastrointestinal diseases, liver disease, kidney disease, etc. can also cause vitamin D deficiency. Specifically, the following four types of groups should be vigilant↓
People who can’t get the sun
White-collar workers who work indoors most of the time, night shift workers who work at night, and “homeboys” and “homeworkers” are all high-risk groups.
People who always wear sunscreen or makeup
Cosmetics and sunscreens can block out a lot of ultraviolet rays. If ultraviolet rays cannot come into contact with the 7-hydroxycholesterol in the skin, vitamin D cannot be synthesized.
The vegetarian
Vitamin D is fat-soluble, and proper intake of fat can promote its absorption and utilization by the body. In order to lose weight, the increase in the number of people who do not eat meat and vegetarians has caused vitamin D deficiency to be more common.
The elderly
With age, the skin’s ability to synthesize vitamin D weakens, coupled with the fact that the elderly at home or in nursing homes are not going out for a long time and are not exposed to sunlight, which is more likely to lead to vitamin D deficiency.
Supplement the body with vitamin D
How to maintain the vitamin D content in the body at a normal level? Experts proposed a set of supplementary plans.
The most economical way: get some sun
Zhao Lin said that the best way to supplement vitamin D is to bask in the sun.
Adults should be in the sun for 30 minutes to 1 hour a day
Infants and children have delicate skin, and the time can be shortened to 15~30 minutes
Elderly people can properly extend the sun exposure time, but can not expose to the sun
Sunlight through glass, the UV transmittance is insufficient, which is not conducive to the body’s synthesis of vitamin D. It is best to go to an outdoor environment with good greenery and fresh air.
Food supplement first and then medicine
You can try fat-rich fish, especially salmon, sardines, and tuna. Among the commonly eaten foods, cheese, egg yolks, and dried mushrooms have higher vitamin D content.
To meet physical needs, children, pregnant women, and the elderly can take vitamin D supplements under the guidance of a doctor.
Don’t overdo supplements
The maximum tolerable intake of vitamin D is 20 micrograms per day for infants and 50 micrograms per day for adults.
Vitamin D synthesized by sun exposure to the skin is self-limiting and generally not excessive, but there is a possibility of excessive consumption of supplements.
Too much Vitamin D intake will increase blood calcium levels, which may increase the risk of kidney stones and arrhythmia in the long term.
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