Properties of vitamin D, which one to choose, what doses to use?

Our body is able to synthesize vitamin D, which requires a precursor that can be obtained mainly from fish and UV sunlight. Unfortunately, this is not an easy solution in all cases, because fish rich in vitamin D are often sold at exorbitant prices, and due to high solar radiation, we can safely spend little time in the sun. Not to mention that we can't always be in the sun when we want to. In our country, with an average, balanced diet, we can provide our body with 100-200 IU of vitamin D per day. The general consensus is that 5,000 IU of vitamin D per day is the optimal daily intake. In case of illness, this dose may be worth increasing to 10,000 IU, but during the asymptomatic period, this amount is already too much if taken permanently.

Vitamin D plays an important role in many physiological processes, it is necessary for bone formation and bone metabolism, as well as for the regulation of calcium metabolism, it affects the functioning of the immune system, and is of key importance in the processes of cellular metabolism.

Vitamin D is essential for the activation of T lymphocytes, the body's first defenders. T lymphocytes search for and then destroy viruses and bacteria that appear in our body. However, this process only works properly in the presence of adequate amounts of vitamin D, so in the case of vitamin D deficiency, the protection of the immune system may decrease.

Vitamin D is also of paramount importance in defending against Covid-19. It cannot be unequivocally stated that the level of vitamin D affects the likelihood of developing Covid-19, however, several studies conducted among people infected with Covid-19 indicate that a significant percentage of patients hospitalized with severe symptoms (75-80%) were also deficient in vitamin D2 . The immune system of coronavirus patients requiring hospital treatment is boosted with drugs containing the active form of vitamin D, aimed at eliminating vitamin D deficiency, which can help the body fight the infection faster, thus reducing the severity of symptoms caused by the disease, as well as mortality.

Currently, there is a very large selection of products with vitamin D on the market. We can choose from vitamin D3 tablets, capsules or drops. Available preparations differ in dosage, composition, price and quality. So what should you look for when choosing a product with vitamin D? Is it necessary to choose a medicine or can you bet on a good dietary supplement. We suggest.

To begin with, it is worth paying attention to the composition. For the drops and capsules, it should be very simple vitamin D and natural flavor for the drops and vitamin D, natural oil and gelatin and glycerol for the capsule. Tablets with vitamin D due to their construction will have more auxiliary substances in the composition.

The second issue often emphasized in advertisements is the distinction between a drug and a dietary supplement. Contrary to popular belief, a vitamin D drug is not necessarily better than a supplement, and vice versa. It all depends on the production quality standard. Generally all drugs meet GMP standards, but some supplements do as well. Unfortunately, the GMP standard itself does not guarantee the highest quality and safety of a drug or supplement. Most of us remember massive recalls of drugs from the market due to contamination of active substances imported from China. This is due to the fact that the GMP standard does not require the testing of each batch of the active substance and each batch of the finished drug or dietary supplement. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to preparations produced in the latest cGMP standard, which requires continuous control of both the active substance - vitamin D and the finished product. If we expect our vitamin D to be of the highest quality, we should choose one that meets the latest cGMP standard.