5 natural sources of vitamin D
The form of vitamin D that is approved to rid the population of rickets and is added to processed milk and bread is D2 /ergocalciferol /.
But recently in Europe there has been a slight increasing the incidence of the disease.
In addition, scientific research over the past 2 decades has shown that vitamin D can be successfully used both to overcome more innocuous eating disorders, obesity, metabolic syndromes, and and socially significant diseases, even cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
To protect against the diseases mentioned above, vitamin D3 in the form of a food supplement is considered better than D2. The consensus among scientists is that supplementary intake of 5-10,000 IU /international units/ of vitamin D daily should be safe.
In human medicine, there is an opinion that an amount of 20 nanograms per milliliter of blood of the active form calciferol is completely sufficient. But it is believed that to keep the body in condition the necessary concentration of serum vitamin D should be above 50 ng/ml.
During the treatment of an illness, temporary levels of 80-100 ng/ml are considered to have a therapeutic effect by accelerating the healing process. A concentration above 100ng/ml causes a toxic reaction of the body.
Vitamin D2 has been synthetically produced by UV irradiation of ergosterol, which has been extracted from the ergosterol, a type of mold, since the 1920s. And in supplement form, vitamin D3 is produced by a process similar to that which occurs under the action of UVB rays when exposing human skin and cholesterol in it to sunlight.
The synthetic form of vitamin D3 is produced, mainly from laolin from sheep wool, the latter undergoing the same process of exposure to ultraviolet rays. Sheep laolin contains the same type of cholesterol as human skin. Exposure of sheep laolin to UVB rays mimics exposure to sunlight, creating cholecalciferol as a result of the process.
Regardless of exposure of human skin to sunlight or exposure to laolin with UVB rays, the formed cholecalciferol must be converted in the liver and kidneys into a prohormone /precursor/ known as vitamin D3.
Therefore, it is generally considered that vitamin D3 in the form of a food supplement does not create a toxic environment in the body, as it is absorbed much more efficiently. Therefore, it is thought to maintain more stable serum levels of vitamin D compared to vitamin D2.
Natural sources of vitamin D
1. Clearly, exposure to sunlight on exposed skin is the most natural way to obtain vitamin D. There is an interesting difference between taking calciferol as a dietary supplement and exposing the skin to the sun. In the natural conversion of the sun’s rays into vitamin D from cholesterol in the skin, there is a built-in protection of the body. By terminating the process of its production in sufficient quantity, regardless of the time a person spends under the sun’s rays. After exposing the skin to the sun, one should not bathe with soap for about 48 hours, as it washes away some of the cholesterol from the skin before it is fully converted into prohormone. Therefore, when bathing, soap should only be used on the areas of the skin in which bacteria usually develop faster and begin to emit an unpleasant odor.
2. The most useful are fish oils, especially cod liver oil, which, in addition to containing omega-3 fatty acids, is very rich in naturally produced vitamin D. The more plankton are fed a fish or marine mammal, the greater amounts of calciferol its oil contains.
3. Fish such as sardines, herring and catfish that feed on plankton are among the best sources of vitamin D3. And in order to maintain stable levels of calciferol in the blood serum the consumption of cold-water salmon, mackerel and tuna is recommended.
4. Fresh free-range eggs are also a good source of vitamin D3.
5. If a person avoids all animal food sources in order to maintain a stable concentration of vitamin D in the blood, it can be obtained from champignon mushrooms and the Chinese “imperial mushroom” – shiitake.
