Do you need more vitamin D when there is less sunshine in winter? The answer is surprising

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I believe that our readers who often read our popular science articles should already know that vitamin D is very important for us.

Vitamin D is very important,

the main natural source depends on sun exposure

However, unlike other vitamins, vitamin D is found in very low amounts in most foods (fatty fish and mushrooms treated with ultraviolet light are exceptions) , if we do not consider additional intake, the main natural source of vitamin D for the human body is skin synthesis .

When our skin is exposed to sunlight, ultraviolet rays can convert 7-dehydrocholesterol in the skin into vitamin D3 precursors through a non-enzymatic pathway. Vitamin D3 precursors undergo temperature-dependent rearrangement to form vitamin D3, but, due to differences in skin color, exposure area, latitude, season, and time of day, the amount of vitamin D produced by each exposure is not stable and is difficult to effectively quantify .

So when winter comes, the problem arises.

Do we need to increase the dosage of vitamin D in winter?

⚠️ First, sun exposure time is shortened ;

The pain of workers

⚠️ Second, because the environment becomes colder, people wear more clothes, and the skin exposed is reduced .

Strict sun protection party OS

Therefore, the effect of skin synthesis of vitamin D will also be greatly reduced, in this way, the vitamin D in our body will be even less.

It should be added here that considering the problems of sunburn, tanning, skin aging, and increased risk of skin cancer caused by sun exposure without protection, oral supplementation of vitamin D is a safer and more reliable method . As for the skin, it is still recommended to actively protect from the sun to ensure the health of the skin itself.

So some people may have doubts:

The answer is, after we intake enough vitamin D, when the concentration of vitamin D in the body reaches a certain level, the body’s self-regulation mechanism will be activated , the precursors of vitamin D produced by the skin due to light exposure will be converted into inactive metabolites such as tachysterol, dihydrotachysterol, 5,6-trans-vitamin D, suprasterol 1 and 2, automatically stopping the synthesis of vitamin D.

That is to say, in the sunny season, after we have taken enough vitamin D, the skin no longer synthesizes extra vitamin D, so there will be no excess of vitamin D in the body.

And in the autumn and winter when the cold wind is getting stronger, due to the built-in regulatory mechanism, the vitamin D we intake through enough oral intake and light exposure usually does not lead to a deficiency of vitamin D.

In general, after our body intakes enough vitamin D, it will automatically reach a dynamic balance, and there is no need to deliberately increase or decrease the oral intake because of seasonal changes .

How to supplement vitamin D in daily life?

So what is the scientific adequate supplement, how much is the dosage? The recommended supplement dosage of vitamin D varies with age:

Finally, vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, and theoretically, if taken with meals (especially a meal with more healthy fats) , the absorption efficiency is the highest, but it is not necessary to force it, as long as it is ensured to be taken in the required amount every day, it is enough.

In summary, it is indeed difficult to obtain enough vitamin D from daily diet, mainly relying on skin synthesis under sunlight, and in winter, the lack of sunlight and thick clothing make it easier to be deficient.

But because of the body’s intelligent regulatory function, as long as the supplement is scientifically and reasonably supplemented, the dosage does not need to be changed with the seasons, and it is better to take it with meals for better absorption. While you always want to eat some meat and drink some hot soup in winter, don’t forget to supplement this indispensable “sunshine vitamin” for your body~

Disclaimer: The purpose of the article is to provide general health information. For personal medical issues, please consult a doctor. To reprint the article, please contact: medicine@distinctclinic.com.