- Dietary supplements: Öko-Test has 20 vitamin D products tested
- The fact is: Vitamin D is extremely important for our health
- Investigation Results: Most dietary supplements are unhealthy
Vitamin D is of great importance for our health. It strengthens the bones, supports metabolic processes and may even protect against cancer. One scientist even assumes that it can help against Corona. But although the body can produce a large part of the vitamin D it needs itself, many people resort to additional means Vitamin D* return.
Vitamin D preparations fail: Harmful and ineffective according to Öko-Test
Öko-Test looked at 20 vitamin D preparations that are sold in pharmacies or drugstores. The test was first published in December 2018 and revised again in October 2019. Five of the vitamin D supplements are medicinal, and another 15 are dietary supplements*.
Here you will find a large selection of vitamin D supplements on Amazon
The result shows that the medicines make sense – they scored “good” to “very good” in the test. On the other hand, 10 of the 15 dietary supplements were rated “Poor” and “insufficient” through.
The testers came to the conclusion that Vitamin D* should only be taken in the form of medicines – and only in consultation with a doctor.
Vitamin D: Overdose can be harmful under certain circumstances
According to “Statement of the “Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR)” there is no need to take vitamin D supplements. In addition, it is expressly warned against overdosing. The body cannot produce too much vitamin D on its own. However, supplements can increase the vitamin D value to a level that is harmful to health.
If this happens, there is a risk of hypercalcemia – the calcium levels in the blood serum are then higher than normal. Possible symptoms include tiredness, muscle weakness, constipation or vomiting. But far worse consequences such as cardiac arrhythmia, vascular calcification and, in the worst case, even kidney damage are possible.
An occasional intake is less harmful. “However, if you take extremely high doses of vitamin D preparations every day in the long term, the current study situation indicates an increased health risk,” says the BfR. The BfR has evaluated various products containing cholecalciferol. The respective dosages of 50 and 100 micrograms (µg) cholecalciferol are representative of high-dose preparations. The “European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)” specifies a quantity of 100 µg as the daily upper limit for vitamin D. However, this value includes sun exposure and the intake of vitamin D from natural foods. So if a preparation with 100 µg is taken, that may already be too much.
Öko-Test warns: Some vitamin D preparations contain too much active ingredient
From the point of view of Öko-Test, there is no need for food supplements at all. A healthy person produces enough Vitamin D* and stores it in the body so that there is enough even in winter. There is no risk of defects. Only in newborns is the addition of Vitamin D* recommended to prevent rickets.
In healthy adults Vitamin D* no preventive effect. On the contrary: too much Vitamin D*taken on its own, is detrimental to calcium metabolism and bone health, and may cause kidney damage.
Öko-Test therefore warns against some agents: They contain significantly more than the specified maximum amount of 20 µg. This was the case, for example, with products from abbey, Doppelherz or tetesept the case.
Vitamin D supplements in the test: All winners and losers
The best cut in the test Medicines from the pharmacy ab.
At Amazon you will find a large selection of dietary supplements
The following products achieved very good test results:
- Dekristol 1000 IE Vitamin D3, Tabletten von Mibe
- Vigantol 1000 IE Vitamin D3, Merck Tablets
- Vitagamma Vitamin D3 1,000 IU tablets from Wörwag
- Vitamin D-Sandoz 1,000 IU, tablets from Hexal
Creates on the other side none of the tested dietary supplements* a good result. Five are even “insufficient”, including some well-known providers:
- Abtei Vitamin D3 Forte Plus 1600 IU, tablets by Abtei
- Doppelherz Aktiv Vitamin D 1700 IE Extra, tablets from Queisser
- Orthomol Vitamin D3 Plus, Kapseln von Orthomol
- Tetesept Vitamin D3 high dose 1700, mini-tablets from Tetesept
- Vitamin D Verla Pur Kaps, capsules from Verla-Pharm
Health: Why do people need vitamin D?
One thing is certain: a real vitamin D deficiency is actually harmful to your health. Vitamin D* is the precursor of a vital hormone, explains Prof. Helmut Schatz from the board of the German Society for Endocrinology (DGE). It is particularly important for healthy bones, but it also influences the function of the muscles. In contrast to other vitamins, humans only absorb a small part of vitamin D from food – for example from fatty sea fish. The body creates 80 to 90 percent in the skin itself with the help of sunlight.
Now Germany is not exactly sun-kissed. More and more people therefore apparently believe that they suffer from a vitamin D deficiency. Pharmacies alone sold vitamin D preparations for around 177 million euros in 2017. That’s what the company IQVIA, which monitors the pharmaceutical market, has calculated.
When is a vitamin D deficiency present?
Birgit Niemann from the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) explains that we only speak of a deficiency when people have symptoms, i.e. are sick. There used to be widespread deficiency symptoms, for example with iodine. Since the 1980s, the consumption of salt enriched with iodine has been recommended across the board in Germany. “This is not the case with vitamin D,” emphasizes Niemann. “We expressly do not share the view that there is a nationwide vitamin D deficiency in Germany.” However, the BfR is not only interested in whether the population lacks something – the institute also wants to know how optimally the people are cared for. “And there is still room for improvement with many vitamins,” says Niemann. Vitamin D* also belong to it.
When asked whether dietary supplements* necessary and sensible answers the BfR: “Data on nutrient intake indicate that a few vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin D, calcium, folic acid and iodine, are not ingested by some population groups in Germany in accordance with the intake recommendations of the German Society for Nutrition (DGE eV). This is However, this should not generally be equated with an undersupply or even a deficiency. In individual cases, a dietary supplement can make sense. For example, the intake of additional calcium can make sense for people who do not consume dairy products. Table salt has also been enriched with iodine for many years in order to to improve iodine intake in Germany on a broad basis.”
Other than pharmaceuticals went through dietary supplements* In Germany there is no official approval procedure in which the actual harmlessness to health must be proven. According to the BfR, the range of products on the German market is randomly checked by the official food control authorities. The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment expressly recommends only one dietary supplement: “In order to improve or ensure the long-term supply of sufficient amounts of folic acid, women who are planning to have children and who are pregnant are recommended to specifically improve their diet dietary supplements* to complete. The vitamin folic acid has a beneficial effect on the secure closure of the neural tube in the embryonic phase and reduces the risk of so-called neural tube defects, such as ‘open spine’ (spina bifida) in newborns.”
Vitamin D deficiency: when does it become critical?
To the Robert Koch Institute According to this, more than half of the adults in Germany do not reach the optimal serum concentration of 50 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L) or 20 nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml). Do they all have a defect? “No,” says Niemann. “But it could be that they are at risk of undersupply.”
Because there is always a risk of undersupply if the serum concentration is below the optimal value. However, doctors only speak of a deficiency when the value is much lower – 10 ng/ml for a moderate and 5 ng/ml for a severe deficiency. Both are relatively rare, says Schatz.
Babies, who therefore receive vitamin D across the board, have a higher risk, as do a few others: for example, people who do not leave the house at all or only leave the house with a veil, seniors over 65 and people with dark skin. Prophylactic administration of vitamin D can be considered for these groups, says Schatz.
What does a vitamin D deficiency mean for health?
But even undersupply doesn’t sound like something you would like to have. But what does that actually mean in concrete terms? “That’s a core of the problem,” says Schatz. “We don’t know.”
In numerous studies, scientists have tried to find out whether people with low vitamin D levels die earlier, whether they are more likely to develop cancer or have a heart attack.
A number of studies have also found a link between respiratory and rheumatic diseases or diabetes and low levels of vitamin D in the blood. “But the question here is: does the low vitamin D value now increase the risk of rheumatism, for example? Or is it the other way around: does the disease affect the vitamin D level?”
Increase vitamin D levels: Also possible in a natural way
If you absolutely want to know whether you are adequately cared for, the Stiftung Warentest recommends a blood test from your family doctor. If he sees no reason for the check, the patient has to pay around 20 euros himself. The check is not part of a normal check-up.
Book tip: Collect vitamin D naturally – this is how it works
And who thinks that he without dietary supplements* If you can’t make ends meet, you can swallow such pills at your own expense, says Schatz. Doses of 800 to 1000 International Units (IU) at least do not harm the body. If someone takes more than 4000 IU without a medical reason, but the kidneys, for example, can suffer.
And then there is the natural way Vitamin D* to fill up: the sun. If you want to contribute to the optimal care of your body, you should go outside every day. “You don’t have to lie in the sun for half the day,” says Niemann. “25 minutes a day is enough.” About a third of the body should be exposed to the sun.
“As a rule of thumb we say: half the time until sunburn”, adds Schatz. You don’t have to worry that your skin doesn’t produce enough vitamin D in winter. “Anyone who regularly stays outside for a short time in summer fills up their storage so that they can get through the winter well.” Walks are also worthwhile in winter. Because even if the sky is overcast, the skin will still Vitamin D* educated.
If you want to prevent a vitamin D deficiency through diet, we have an overview of the foods richest in vitamin D here.
*Note: In the editorial office, we’re always looking for great deals and useful products for our readers – things that inspire us and bargains that are too good to pass up. The links provided in this article and marked with a shopping cart symbol or an asterisk are so-called affiliate links/advertising links. If you click on one of these links and make a purchase through it, we receive a commission from the retailer. This does not change the price for you. Our editorial reporting is fundamentally independent of the existence or amount of a commission.