The guide to a vegan diet: A Closer look at Vitamin D

The guide to a vegan diet: A Closer look at Vitamin D.

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Intro

Time to take a close look at vitamin D, so you get enough information to feel comfortable with your diet regarding how much vitamin D it contains and what it´s good for.

There are many different rumors, about how hard it can be to cover certain nutritional factors as a vegan, I do not agree, not even about vitamin D and you will see why in this post.

What is it & how is it made?

Vitamin D actually comes in many different versions, D2 to D7 and it is essential to have at least one of these molecules in our diets, D2 or D3, or get enough sun exposure to catalyze the production in your body. Vitamin D2 is also called ergocalciferol and is common in plants, while vitamin D3, cholecalciferol is common in animals. D3 is made from cholesterol in our skin when it is exposed to ultraviolet radiation.

As seen in the image above, dehydrocholesterol is turned into pre-vitamin D3 with the simple addition of hv, meaning plants constant multiplicated with the frequency of the incoming light. The ring structures in carbon based molecules only absorb in the range of 260-320 nm, most effective around 270-300 nm which is part of the ultra violet window in the lights spectra. The electrons in the rings will do the absorbing and when one gains energy the reaction is catalyzed. In this case the ring-structure will open and be followed by proton shift, from position 1 to 7, giving us vitamin D from sunbathing.

To reach high enough levels of vitamin D you only need 5 minutes to 20 minutes of sun exposure to cover your daily dose on the summer part of the year, depending on your skin pigmentation and geographical location. With dark skin in Sweden, 20 minutes might be a good advise.

Why do we need it?

Vitamin D is a pro hormone that needs to be activated by an enzyme to its circulating form, 25-hydroxyvitamin D.
The involved enzymes, vitamin D3-25-hydroxylase and the 25(OH)D3-1α-hydroxylase is found in the kidneys and liver.

The active Vitamin D3 is responsible for absorbing calcium that we metabolize and with levels of D3 under the required many problems might arise. Weak bones in children and young adults is likely a consequence of D3 deficiency since calcium is more common in food. Even if you eat lot of calcium, you can get deficiency of it as a result of low D3.

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Vitamin D3 also blocks the release of parathyroid hormone, which will initiate bone degradation to make calcium available, since it is extremely important for cellular life. This can affect humans at any age if living with low D3 or D2 levels for a long time.

Difference between D3 and D2

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A seemingly non existent difference, but it will have a large impact on receptor sensitivity and D2 will be cleared from our bodies much faster.
The most important aspect of the differences for vegans is the fact that most fortified products contain D2 and D2 is cleared from our circulation much faster than D3. Unless we consume D2 daily, it will not provide enough protection versus calcium deficiency or bone degradation.

Vitamin D in a vegan diet

Mushrooms and some vegetables can produce vitamin D2 and most fortified products contain the version D2 so this must be eaten on a daily basis unless you can get some sun exposure. Some mushrooms have very high D2 level and can cover the daily needs in just a 100g dose, a very good addition to a solid diet, especially far up in the northern hemisphere where I live.

I don´t think to much about vitamin D since i get lot of sun walking my dog 4 times a year and i drink fortified soy milk and spirulina for B vitamin, the first of which also contains vitamin D.

Lichen from algae is a good source of vegan vitamin D, you can buy it in capsules or try to make shots of the algae :)

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There are many fortified products such as orange juicy, vitamin waters,cereals or the vegan milk products made from almonds, cashew, oat, soy or what ever really, be sure to try them if you haven't. If you are picky there is also chocolate drinks made from these milks, delicious!

I encourage everyone to try a vegan diet, but don't forget to sun bade, eat some mushrooms and why not algae and vitamin D fortified products to be on the safe side!

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Thanks you for reading my posts, it is much appreciated!

Peace