Vitamin D supplements? Yes, if you’re that kind of person.

Vitamin D deficiency In Spain, this problem is becoming more common. According to the Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition (SEEN), 40 percent of people under 65 have low levels of this hormone in their blood, while more than 80 percent of people over the aforementioned age suffer from a deficiency of this vitamin. complex. The reason why many people choose supplements. However, there are limits.

One of these boundaries patient profile. Coordinator of the SEEN Group on Mineral and Bone Metabolism, endocrine Maria Cortes Berdonces, indicates a number of types of people with vitamin D deficiency who have to resort to taking supplements to increase their levels of this compound. Of course, always under the supervision of a specialist.

On the one hand, there are those who have values ​​less than 20 ng/ml in blood – the moment when a doctor believes that a person suffers from vitamin D deficiency. However, if the level is not too low and the patient is not at risk, endocrinologists usually opt for general measures, such as staying in the sun for 15 minutes a day or eating foods rich in this compound, such as fatty fish, beef liver or egg yolks.

If the deficiency is not corrected with these measures, the endocrinologist expert will begin prescribing oral supplements. In the worst case, when levels continue to fall or patients have difficulty getting or absorbing vitamin D For some incurable condition or disease, a specialist may inject supplements directly into the bloodstream, for example, through catheters.

Elderly people and patients with pathologies

The coordinator of the SEEN group on mineral and bone metabolism notes that those diagnosed with osteoporosis or any pathology that increases the risk of bone fractures, they should take vitamin D supplements as it helps absorb calcium and improves skeletal health.

Cortes Berdonces also recommends supplements for persons over 65 years of agebecause the ability to synthesize vitamin D decreases with age. Taking it becomes key when patients have a history of falls or mobility problems. “For older people, especially people living in residential buildings, the dose should be 800 IU (international units) per day,” the expert noted.

People with endocrine diseasessuch as secondary hyperparathyroidism, which causes an imbalance of parathyroid hormones and subsequent deterioration of bone health, prediabetes (supplements can slow the progression of the disease), or obesity, also require external compounds. Likewise, those suffering from diseases with impaired absorption in the gastrointestinal tractsuch as celiac disease or Crohn’s disease are included on the list because they have difficulty absorbing nutrients through the intestines.

Similarly, this option adds citizens with not enough sun exposurewhether it’s living in high latitudes, using intense sun protection, or living a lifestyle that limits sun exposure. In addition, Cortes Berdonces adds that people with dark skin have “natural protection against ultraviolet radiation and therefore a lower capacity to form vitamin D.”

What are the consequences of vitamin D deficiency?

The main consequence of hydroxyvitamin D deficiency in the blood is loss of bone density. This leads to greater fragility of the bones and therefore the possibility of any type of fracture. Consequently, its deficiency is associated with diseases such as osteomalacia, which causes pain throughout the skeleton and muscle weakness.

In boys and girls, low levels of this compound may be associated with ricketsa disease that softens bones. In addition, researchers are working on studies that link this deficiency to health problems such as diabetes, cancer, or autoimmune pathologies.