Vitamin D Day
World Vitamin D Day takes place every year on November 2. It's a reason to celebrate, because now the hormone precursor is receiving a great deal of attention – and at just the right time, too. We reveal why this important day is celebrated in November and why vitamin D should be the focus of attention not only on this day.
20th century: Vitamin D was not discovered on a specific day; research into it spanned several decades. The starting signal was given in the early 20th century.
2 forms: There are several forms of vitamin D, some occur naturally, others are produced artificially. The two most important forms are vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol).
100,000 deaths: According to scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), fortifying food with vitamin D could prevent more than one hundred thousand cancer-related deaths per year in Europe.
What is Vitamin D Day?
Many events or important topics have an anniversary. April 20, for example, is known worldwide as Cannabis Day, which is likely to become even more well-known following the legalization of cannabis. What many people don't know:
Vitamin D also has a day of honor - it falls on November 2 every year.
It is unclear in how many countries Vitamin D Day is celebrated. The recurring event seems to be particularly popular in the USA - where many dietary supplement suppliers and organizations such as GrassrootsHealth, a non-profit public health research organization, highlight the special day. In Germany, the German Food Association is working to raise awareness of the anniversary.
Regardless of the country in which Vitamin D Day is celebrated, it always has the same goals:
- to draw attention to the health importance of vitamin D
- Encourage people to look into their vitamin D supply
- make people aware of the consequences of a deficiency
- Highlight ways to increase intake during the months with less sunshine
As vitamin D, unlike other vitamins such as vitamin C, is not so present in the minds of many people, the hormone precursor definitely deserves its own day.
Why does this special day take place in November of all months?
The number of hours of sunshine and the intensity of the sun change with the seasons. The problem is that the body needs sufficient sunlight in order to synthesize enough vitamin D. November and the associated change in the angle of the sun and shorter daylight hours have consequences in the northern hemisphere: vitamin D levels fall in people living there.
As temperatures drop in the fall/winter, spending time indoors is now more popular. All these factors can increase the risk of vitamin D deficiency. November is therefore exactly the right month for an awareness-raising campaign.
Consequences of vitamin D deficiency often go undetected
Vitamin D plays a decisive role in bone metabolism - for example, it promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphate from the intestine and helps to incorporate them into the bones. It is precisely this process that significantly supports bone mineralization. The nutrient also contributes to the immune system, the psyche, muscle function and much more.
Also interesting: vitamin D supports the regulation of genes. The hormone precursor uses receptors to influence a wide variety of mechanisms, such as the formation of proteins, messenger substances and enzymes. Despite its undisputed importance for the human organism, a deficiency often remains undetected for a long time, but why?
Reasons for a hidden vitamin D deficiency:
- the vitamin D level is not routinely determined in check-ups
- the symptoms of deficiency (including muscle pain, hair loss and susceptibility to infections) indicate many different causes.
- a vitamin D deficiency can develop gradually, which makes it difficult to diagnose.
- Vitamin D Day, and therefore the importance of the nutrient, is not yet sufficiently well known.
Those who spread the word about Vitamin D Day are doing their fellow human beings who are not yet familiar with vitamin D a big favor.
Who is particularly affected by a vitamin D deficiency?
The lion's share of the vitamin D supply comes from the body's own synthesis. Vitamin D is produced in the body through the effect of UV-B rays from the sun on the skin. UV-B rays convert 7-dehydrocholesterol in the skin into previtamin D3, which is then converted into vitamin D3 by the sun's heat. This is transported to the liver and converted to 25-hydroxyvitamin D before being activated in the kidneys to form calcitriol, the biologically active form of vitamin D. However, this sophisticated process does not work equally well for everyone.
The Robert Koch Institute states that the following people have an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency:
- People who rarely spend time in the fresh air, for example because they are chronically ill or in need of care and are immobile.
- Older people, as their own production decreases with age.
- Infants, as they should not come into direct contact with the sun.
- People with dark skin color - the higher pigmentation reduces the transmission of UV rays.
- People with kidney disease, liver disease, chronic gastrointestinal diseases.
- Patients who are dependent on drugs that inhibit vitamin D metabolism (anti-epileptic drugs, cytostatics).
Sun and fish are not the only helpers
There are initially two ways to provide the body with vitamin D: Bathing in sufficient sunlight for the purpose of self-synthesis and eating fatty foods such as fish. However, numerous statistics and studies show that an adequate supply of vitamin D seems unattainable for some people. The Robert Koch Institute stated in 2019, based on older studies (2008-2011), that 15.2% of adults have an inadequate supply. This is a clinical vitamin D deficiency that can have serious health consequences (osteomalacia, rickets). The indicator here is the so-called IMO classification - according to this, a deficiency condition results from a 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration of less than 30 nmol/l.
But what other options are there apart from sunbathing and the usual foods? Many people rely on the help of food supplements and fortified foods.
Get active: how you can boost your vitamin D status
Of course, Vitamin D Day not only aims to educate people, but also to motivate them to question their vitamin levels and prevent or compensate for a deficiency.
There are simple tips for everyday life:
- Check vitamin D levels: Doctors can find out how well patients are supplied with vitamin D with a blood test. However, experts do not agree on how high the level should be, for example with regard to the bones. The Institute of Medicine recommends 20ng/ml blood, but the US Society of Endocrinologists considers a value of 30ng/ml blood to be sufficient.
- Get enough sun: When it comes to vitamin D production, it is important to manage the balancing act between sunburn and sufficient production. Experts recommend about 30 minutes of sunbathing in the morning or late afternoon in summer and one hour of sunshine in spring and fall. The sun's rays should at least hit your face, arms and hands.
- Eat foods rich in vitamin D: fish, milk, eggs, butter, mushrooms and avocado provide the nutrient. But beware: we can only get around 10% of the vitamin D we need from vitamin D-rich foods. In addition, specially fortified foods in the form of milk and spreadable fats can help to cover this.
- Consider dietary supplements: Vitamin D levels can be increased with supplements. We particularly recommend products that are free from unnecessary additives and possibly combined with valuable carriers such as MCT oil - don't forget: Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin.
Motivation at the end: Blue Zones can serve as a model for Vitamin D Day
Dan Buettner is a journalist. He has discovered that there are a total of five Blue Zones in the world. These are places where residents grow remarkably old - many people are 100 years old and older. The blue zones include: Ikaria (Greece), Okinawa (Japan), Ogliastra (Sardinia) Loma Linda (California) and Nicoya (Costa Rica). The consumption of unprocessed food, plenty of exercise and strong social cohesion could play a role here. What is also striking is that all the blue zones are located in subtropical to tropical regions - meaning that residents here get plenty of sunshine. This is a good basic requirement for sufficient vitamin D production. Who knows, maybe the Blue Zones are just the motivation we need to make Vitamin D Day even better known!
Sources
German Nutrition Society: 13th Nutrition Report, 2016
Tobias Niedermaier, Thomas Gredner, Sabine Kuznia, Ben Schöttker, Ute Mons, Jeroen Lakerveld, Wolfgang Ahrens, Hermann Brenner. Vitamin D food fortification in European countries: The underutilized potential to prevent cancer deaths. European Journal of Epidemiology 2022, DOI: 10.1007/s10654-022-00867-4
RKI - Navigation - What is vitamin D and what functions does it have in the body?
RKI - Navigation - Who is at increased risk of vitamin D deficiency?
BfS - Acute effects - Formation of the body's own vitamin D
Bischoff-Ferrari HA. Hype about vitamin D substitution: what remains? [Hype about vitamin D substitution: what remains?] Internist (Berl). 2020 Nov;61(11):1196-1203. doi: 10.1007/s00108-020-00869-y. PMID: 32970191; PMCID: PMC7581590.