Eliminate vitamin D deficiency in the solarium? This is what the experts say

As days get shorter and sunlight becomes scarcer, the issue of vitamin D deficiency comes to the fore again. Can a solarium help replenish these elements?

Kassel – Vitamin D deficiency can manifest in very different ways. Common symptoms are fatigue and muscle or bone pain. A deficiency of this important vitamin is harmful to your health and has a huge impact on daily life.

But what can help combat vitamin D deficiency? Since the vitamin is also called the sunshine vitamin, one might conclude that a visit to a solarium can help, but is this really the case or is it a myth?

Solarium against vitamin D deficiency? This is what you should know

Vitamin D is not only essential for bone health, but also for many other metabolic processes in the body. Normally, the human body produces the vitamin independently when our skin comes into contact with UV rays. But does this also apply to the solarium? No, because only a certain percentage of this radiation stimulates vitamin D production.

How is that Federal Office for Radiation Protection He explains that it is ultraviolet rays that stimulate the production of this vitamin. “The UV rays of a modern solarium contain no or usually only a small percentage of UV-B.” The federal office said. Vitamin D production can only be stimulated in a solarium that also uses UVB rays. There is another catch.

Going to a tanning salon to stimulate vitamin D production? This is what the experts say

Both UVA rays and UVB rays in general have a drawback: they can cause the development of various types of skin cancer. The Federal Office therefore emphasizes the following: “The simultaneous and separate health risks of carcinogenic UV radiation far outweigh the benefits of the formation of vitamin D resulting from UV radiation. At the international level, the use of a solarium for the production of vitamin D is not recommended.

For healthy adults with body weight within the normal range, direct sunlight is quite sufficient to ensure a healthy concentration of vitamin D in the body. the German Nutrition Society (DGE) It has guidelines to Latitudes from 47 to 55 degrees published. What is important here is that A A quarter of the body’s surface should be exposed to direct sunlight. In its list, DGE only took into account skin types 1 to 3, i.e. very fair to light brown skin tones. All values ​​at a glance:

Is vitamin D deficiency suspected? What you should do next

Vitamin D supplements should not be taken without consulting a doctor. The DGE explains: “Since the majority of the healthy German population is not expected to suffer from vitamin D deficiency, vitamin D supplies should only be limited if there is reasonable suspicion of a deficiency or in people at risk.” (Sophia Luther)