Vitamin D – high-dose supplementation or not?
In view of the study situation, we would advise against high-dose self-treatment with vitamin D. Even with the controversial Coimbra protocol, the therapy is permanently supervised by a physician who carries out regular measurements and re-evaluates whether and if so how much vitamin D should be taken.Of course, there are circumstances that require the administration of vitamin D, not least an established vitamin D deficiency. But who actually has a deficiency?
Who has a vitamin D deficiency?
According to the Robert Koch Institute, about 30 % of the people in Germany are actually undersupplied, and the undersupply among women increases statistically with age. However, these figures vary greatly depending on the period of measurement – in summer the shortage reaches a low of about 8%, in winter a high of 52%. In view of these figures, the research institute judges that the care situation in Germany is to be classified as “not optimal”.
The consequences of a permanent undersupply of vitamin D are related to age. Children may suffer from so-called rickets – a disease in which bone growth is disturbed. Adults, on the other hand, may suffer from so-called osteomalacia, in which bones soften and become more easily deformed.
As a result, the bones can break more easily. The older we are, the more likely it is that a vitamin D deficiency will lead to osteoporosis, also known as “bone loss”. All of these changes require therapeutic intervention, either through vitamin D substitution or increased exposure to sunlight.