Vitamin D deficiency can lead to health problems
Vitamin D is vital for our organism. However, the vitamin is largely obtained from sunlight. Especially in winter, the sunshine is not enough to cover our daily needs. Foods with vitamin D can help prevent deficiency.
Vitamin D deficiency is particularly common in older people. Health experts therefore advise to make up for the deficiency. Seniors should use high quality food.
The need for vitamins and trace elements remains high
Dietary habits and metabolism generally change with age. Seniors over 70 are mostly not as physically active as in younger years, basic metabolism and calorie requirements decrease, loss of appetite is widespread. But the need for vitamins and trace elements remains high. In many cases, this leads to an undersupply of certain nutrients. One study showed that around half of those over 65 years of age are affected by a vitamin D deficiency. Health experts recommend compensating for this deficiency.
In the cold months, the sun intensity is not enough
“Around 80 percent of vitamin D is formed in the skin with the help of UV-B radiation from sunlight,” explains the German Society for Geriatrics (DGG) in an older message.
It is therefore important to soak up the sun in the warm months.
“However, the sun is not a reliable source: from November to May, the sun intensity is not sufficient across Europe,” said the DGG.
As a result, many people choose supplements. Older people in particular, especially those over the age of 70, often need vitamin D supplementation.
Use particularly high quality food
DGG President Jürgen Bauer recommends that you should consume one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.
“Because of the decline in physical activity that can usually be observed after the age of 70, the average calorie requirement in this phase of life drops,” said the doctor, according to a message from the APA news agency.
“Nevertheless, the need for micronutrients such as vitamins and trace elements remains unchanged. Therefore, older people should choose particularly high-quality foods when choosing their food. Otherwise they face a deficit in this regard, ”warns the expert.
Vitamin D has a special position among vitamins.
“It is particularly important for bones and muscles. As a result of the aging of the skin, older people are particularly susceptible to a vitamin D deficiency, since they can hardly meet their needs from natural foods – not even in combination with greater exposure to the sun, ”explains the specialist in the agency report.
These foods have the most vitamin D (all data in micrograms per 100 g food):
Fish:
- Cod liver oil: 330 µg / 100 g
- smoked eel: 90 µg / 100 g
- Herring: 31 µg / 100 g
- salted matje herring: 27 µg / 100 g
- Bückling: 25 µg / 100 g
- Trout: 22 µg / 100 g
- Salmon: 16 µg / 100 g
Meat and offal:
- Veal: 3.8 µg / 100 g
- Lamb liver: 2 µg / 100 g
- Beef liver: 1.7 µg / 100 g
Vegetables and mushrooms:
- Avocado: 3.4 µg / 100 g
- Boletus: 3.1 µg / 100 g
- Processed cheese: 3.1 µg / 100 g
- Food morels: 3.1 µg / 100 g
eggs:
- Chicken egg yolk: 5.6 µg / 100 g
- Whole chicken egg: 2.7 µg / 100 g
Dairy products:
- Processed cheese: 3.1 µg / 100 g
- Gouda: 1.3 µg / 100 g
- Cream: 1.1 µg / 100 g
- Emmentaler: 1.1 µg / 100 g
- Gorgonzola: 1 µg / 100 g
fats:
- Margarine: 2.5 µg / 100 g
- Butter: 1.2 µg / 100 g
Taking vitamin D supplements
The intake of vitamin D supplements should always be discussed with the family doctor.
Such dietary supplements are not advisable for everyone, experts from the Lower Saxony Chamber of Pharmacists recently warned.
And the drug commission of the German Medical Association (AkdÄ) pointed out that an overdose with vitamin D supplements can also occur.
Avoid losing weight
“The value of taking a multivitamin pill regularly has not been scientifically proven,” says Bauer.
It is also important for older seniors to pay attention to a stable weight development.
“Beyond the age of 70, weight loss should be avoided if possible, since otherwise an excessive loss of skeletal muscles threatens and the occurrence of so-called sarcopenia (muscle loss) is promoted,” explains the geriatrician.
Diets could easily lead to malnutrition.
Adequate protein intake
But muscle maintenance and building can also be implemented into old age. “Adequate protein intake is particularly important in old age because it counteracts muscle loss. It may even be a little bit more protein than when you were younger, ”says Bauer.
“The official recommendation for seniors is to consume one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. The older adult does not have to use meat as a food source, ”explains the doctor.
“Alternatively, high-quality milk products and vegetable protein sources are available. A low-protein diet, on the other hand, can be considered a real ‘muscle killer’. ”
According to the expert, the necessary protein intake in sarcopenia patients could even be up to 1.4 grams per kilogram of body weight and day. (Ad)
Swell:
- Robert Koch Institute: Answers from the Robert Koch Institute to frequently asked questions about vitamin D (accessed: February 21, 2020), RKI FAQ
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Important NOTE:
This article contains general information only and should not be used for self-diagnosis or treatment. He can not substitute a visit at the doctor.
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