Some people may not know the details of what kind of nutrient vitamin D is. Vitamin D is an important nutrient for maintaining beauty and health. It is a nutrient that is not well recognized, but in recent years Japanese people have been lacking in it, and its importance is gradually becoming more widespread.

In this article, we will introduce the functions of vitamin D and ways to increase vitamin D in the body. Incorporate vitamin D into your daily life and live a healthy life.

Vitamin D is a nutrient that you want to take for beauty purposes.

Vitamins are divided into two types: water-soluble and fat-soluble. Vitamin D is fat-soluble and easily dissolves in oil.

There are six types of vitamin D, D2 to D7. There are two types of vitamin D that are important for the body: D2 and D3. The functions of D2 and D3 are said to be the same. However, recently there is an opinion that vitamin D3 is twice as effective as D2.

Vitamin D plays a role in supporting the function of calcium. It is a nutrient that people who have a habit of exercising and middle-aged and elderly people should actively consume.

How to increase vitamin D in your body for beauty

There are two ways to increase vitamin D: exposure to sunlight and intake from food. Here we will introduce each method in detail.


●Bask in sunlight

Vitamin D can be produced by exposure to ultraviolet light. This is an unusual property of vitamin D, since many vitamins can only be obtained from food.

There are two types of ultraviolet rays that reach the ground: UV-A and UV-B, but it is UV-B that promotes the production of vitamin D. UV-A can pass through windows and glass and reach the inside of buildings, but UV-B does not. Therefore, if you want to produce vitamin D, you need to go outside and sunbathe.

Please note that the amount of time you should be exposed to UV rays varies depending on the season and weather. It is known that in order to produce 5.5μg (micrograms) of vitamin D, the following amount of sunlight exposure time is required on a sunny day.

July (time of sunbathing required to generate all 5.5μg in the body per day)

Sapporo
9 Time7.4minutes 12 Time 4.6minutes 15 Time 13.3minutes

Tsukuba
9 Time 5.9minutes 12 Time 3.5minutes 15 Time 10.1minutes

Naha
9 Time 8.8minutes 12 Time 2.9minutes 15 Time 5.3minutes

December (time of sunbathing required to generate all 5.5μg in the body per day)

Sapporo
9 Time497.Fourminutes 12 Time76.Fourminutes 15 Time2741.7minutes

Tsukuba
9 Time106minutes 12 Timetwenty two.Fourminutes 15 Time271.3minutes

Naha
9 Time78minutes 12 Time7.Fiveminutes 15 Time17minutes


“Estimating the amount of sunlight required to produce vitamin D in the body - Sapporo requires more than three times as much sun exposure in winter as Tsukuba” (National Institute for Environmental Studies)
https://www.nies.go.jp/whatsnew/2013/20130830/20130830.html


●intake from food

Vitamin D is found in large amounts in fish, dairy products, and mushrooms.

[Fish rich in vitamin D]
·monkfish liver
・Dried whitebait
・Maiwashi
・Yuri
·eel
・Saury
·salmon

[Dairy products rich in vitamin D]
·milk
·cheese
·Yogurt

[Mushrooms rich in vitamin D]
·dried shiitake
・Maitake
・Shimeji mushrooms

If you want to get vitamin D from food, we recommend frying it in oil. Vitamin D is highly soluble in oil, so cooking with oil increases its absorption efficiency.

【reference】
“Japanese Food Standard Composition Table 2020 Edition (8th Edition)” (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)
https://www.mext.go.jp/amenu/syokuhinseibun/mext01110.html

Ranking of foods rich in vitamin D | Recommended daily intake

Causes of lack of vitamin D, which you need for beauty purposes

Recently, it has been pointed out that vitamin D deficiency is increasing. Causes include excessive UV protection and changes in diet.

Previously, it was believed that vitamin D intake was sufficient due to active sunbathing. However, as the idea that ``ultraviolet rays accelerate skin aging'' has become widespread, more and more people are trying to avoid sun exposure as much as possible. This is thought to have led to the development of vitamin D deficiency in the Japanese population.

Additionally, in the past, people tended to have more opportunities to consume seafood rich in vitamin D. However, in recent years, diets have become more Westernized, and fewer opportunities to eat seafood may have had an impact.

Sunbathing is an easy way to overcome vitamin D deficiency. Increase your exposure to sunlight, even if it's just a little bit every day. If you're concerned about wrinkles or sagging, it's a good idea to expose only your arms and legs to the sun.

The amount of vitamin D you want to take for beauty

Below we will explain the recommended intake amount of vitamin D, which plays an important role in maintaining beauty and health.

The recommended intake of vitamin D is 8.5 μg per day for both men and women over the age of 18. However, the average intake of vitamin D for Japanese people remains at 6.9 μg per day.

Additionally, a 2023 study by the Jikei University School of Medicine revealed that 98% of adult men and women have insufficient vitamin D levels. The younger you are, the more likely you are to be deficient in vitamin D.

【reference】
“Dietary Intake Standards for Japanese (2020 Edition)” (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare)
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/newpage_08517.html

“Summary of National Health and Nutrition Survey Results (2019)” (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare)
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/10900000/000687163.pdf

Be careful not to take too much vitamin D

The tolerable upper limit of vitamin D is 100 μg. Care must be taken to avoid overdosing. Vitamin D accumulates in the body, so excessive intake may lead to hypercalcemia. Please correctly judge the daily required amount and take it appropriately.

Improve your beauty condition with vitamin D

In this article, we introduced the functions of vitamin D and ways to increase vitamin D in the body. Vitamin D is one of the nutrients that are easily deficient. The younger you are, the more likely you are to become deficient.

Sunbathing and eating fish and mushrooms are effective ways to increase vitamin D in the body. Please refer to this article and incorporate vitamin D into your daily health.

Article supervision

Aloha Saori Jiyugaoka Clinic Director
Professor Saori Todo
Aloha Saori Jiyugaoka Clinic

Graduated from Nippon Medical University School of Medicine. After training at Nippon Medical University Musashi-Kosugi Hospital, he entered the Department of Nephrology.
After that, he worked as the director of Zenninkai Maruko Clinic for 10 years.
Currently opening Aloha Saori Jiyugaoka Clinic. He claims to specialize in internal medicine, dermatology, and cosmetic dermatology.

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