2023-12-14 18:42:24
Vitamin D supplements: Ökotest criticizes some products
By: Juliane Gutmann
Do you also take vitamin D? Then you should take a closer look at the test results from Ökotest: Some vitamin D preparations are classified as “insufficient.”
A blood test reveals whether you have a vitamin D deficiency. Many people take vitamin D supplements without consulting a doctor. This can have serious consequences.
The majority of Germans are said to be inadequately supplied with vitamin D. Reason for this: Too little sun. But it’s not just sunlight that stimulates the body’s production of vitamin D, the right foods also ensure sufficient vitamin D in the body. The sun hormone, as vitamin D is also called, is found in salmon, mushrooms, cheese, liver and egg yolk, among other things. However, 80 to 90 percent of the vitamin D requirement is covered by direct sunlight.
Vitamin D supplementation should only be taken if a doctor recommends it. Doctors can use a blood test to find out what the vitamin D level is like. If the value falls below the serum concentration of 30 nmol/l, which corresponds to twelve nanograms per milliliter, it is considered a deficiency. According to the Deutsche Apotheker-Zeitung (DAZ), a value of 50 nmol/l is optimal. However, 60 percent of the German population should not achieve this, according to the DAZ.
Only a diagnosed vitamin D deficiency should be treated. However, there are many people who take vitamin D supplements without medical advice. According to the consumer magazine Ökotest, this can even be harmful. Ökotest tested 20 products – five over-the-counter medicines and 15 dietary supplements from drugstores or supermarkets. The results are sobering.
The most important thing in advance: “Healthy adults and children generally do not need any products containing vitamin D because they can easily cover their needs with the help of the sun,” says Ökotest before its publication. Only babies would generally need to be provided with vitamin D to prevent rickets. However, anyone who continually consumes highly concentrated vitamin D preparations on their own risks disruptions in calcium metabolism, endangers bone health and promotes kidney damage.
A total of nine products with vitamin D failed the test. There was no scientific evidence of the effectiveness or benefits of the preparations. However, the prescription drugs usually received a “very good” rating because their effectiveness has been proven and they do not contain any questionable excipients. The best-rated medicines include the following vitamin D supplements: Dekristol 1,000 IU (IU stands for International Units), Vigantol 1,000 IU, Vitagamma 1,000 IU, and Vitamin D Sandoz 1,000 IU.
Oekotest, on the other hand, classified over-the-counter dietary supplements as not recommended. These are at most unregulated, the person placing them on the market does not have to prove effectiveness and the maximum quantities are also missing. Eight products tested exceeded the maximum amount of 20 micrograms per day, which corresponds to the maximum amount recommendation of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) for dietary supplements. Ökotest sees the danger of overdosing here. Nine products therefore received the worst grades of “poor” and “unsatisfactory”, including: Vitamin D from the dm brand “The Healthy Plus”, Vitamin D3 from Salus, and Vitamin D from Verla.
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. It in no way replaces a visit to the doctor. Unfortunately, our editorial team cannot answer individual questions about medical conditions.]
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