In winter, there is an acute lack of sunlight, especially in the northern regions of the country. And a person needs sunlight for mood, vigor, and strength. With a lack of sunlight, many people experience a decrease in the production of the joy hormone – serotonin, and their immunity and metabolism deteriorate. Told about this Svetlana Zvereva, nutritionist with higher pharmaceutical education, expert of the German manufacturer of dietary supplements LR.
And a lack of light threatens us with a deficiency of vitamin D, which is produced in the skin under the influence of sunlight. On the days of the least winter solar activity, the body is almost deprived of this important element.
Vitamin D helps strengthen the immune system
It is known that vitamin D helps strengthen the immune system, and if its level in the blood is insufficient, the tendency to colds and infectious diseases increases significantly. A lack of D₃ in the blood is accompanied by a decrease in the body’s defenses, apathy, depression, fatigue and tiredness. Due to a lack of vitamin D, metabolic processes slow down, which means there is a risk of gaining excess weight. In winter, the nervous system also suffers from a deficiency of D₃, which affects mood and reduces a person’s performance.
Doctors have found that almost every person experiences vitamin D deficiency in winter. A sedentary lifestyle and constant exposure to enclosed spaces aggravate the problem. But where to get sunlight in winter and how to make up for the lack of a useful element?
Zvereva recommends taking short walks during daylight hours even in the cold season. You need to devote at least 20-30 minutes a day for walking, although it is almost impossible to get the required amount of cholecalciferol on cloudy days.
In winter, it is recommended to take walks during daylight hours to get the required amount of vitamin D.
The only way to make up for the lack of sun and vitamin D reserves in the body in winter is to get it from food, the expert believes. The sun vitamin is found in fatty fish, meat, eggs, high-fat dairy products, caviar, and cod liver. However, you need to eat large portions of these foods to replenish the required amount of vitamin D in the winter. For example, to maintain the normal D₃ level in the blood, you need to eat 4 kg of sour cream or 100 egg yolks per day.
Therefore, it is recommended to replenish D₃ reserves in the body with pharmaceutical preparations – aqueous or oil solutions of cholecalciferol. But it is better to do this as prescribed by the doctor and in the dosage indicated by him.
“According to the Russian Association of Endocrinologists, vitamin D deficiency has now become a pandemic, not only in winter or in northern latitudes, but also in summer and in the south. Moreover, the deficit is observed in all age groups. But since in winter there is less sun (and the synthesis of the vitamin in the skin is one of our ways to get it), and we also eat fewer foods that are sources of vitamin D, then in winter its subsidies must be mandatory,” – concluded Svetlana Zvereva.
Source: Rosbalt
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
