Vitamin D is responsible for many vital functions in our body. It plays an important role in our immune system and keeps our bones strong. A vitamin D deficiency often has no symptoms and is therefore very dangerous to health. 

Vitamin D belongs to the group of fat-soluble vitamins and is found only sparingly in foods. To meet an adult's daily requirement through diet, one would have to eat a pickled herring with a quarter glass of cod liver oil every morning for breakfast or eat four to eight kilos of butter every day. Fortunately, we have the sun, which enables vitamin D to be produced through the skin when exposed to UVB sunlight – but only in the summer months and only when the skin is not covered by clothing or sunscreen.

Vitamin D3 deficiency epidemic

According to the 2012 Austrian Nutrition Report, vitamin D is one of the nutrients at risk of deficiency. More than 80 percent of adults in Austria have too low a vitamin D3 level, as do almost 95 percent of all senior citizens. The main reasons are the long winters and too few sunny months in Central Europe. 

Good for bones

For years, vitamin D was associated only with bone health, but it is now known that a vitamin D3 deficiency makes people more susceptible to infections and respiratory illnesses. Muscle weakness, psoriasis, chronic kidney failure, and diabetes are more likely when there is not enough vitamin D. 

Essential for the immune system

Vitamin D is not actually a vitamin, but a hormone precursor that regulates important processes. It activates important immune cells such as macrophages – the scavenger cells – which destroy pathogens in the body, and T cells, which are responsible for the immune response. It supports the production of antimicrobial substances that fight bacteria, viruses, and fungi. People with low vitamin D levels are more susceptible to infections and experience more severe illnesses.

Vitamin D testing at Zweihorn Pharmacy

Spring is the best time to measure vitamin D. After the long winter months, you can see how much vitamin D is still stored in your body. If your level is too low, you should take supplements.

We will be happy to advise you.

Make an appointment for your vitamin D test:

Zweihorn Pharmacy
03862/52319
office@zweihorn-apotheke.at