Overview
- Around 60 percent of German adults and nearly half of children fall below RKI’s recommended Vitamin D thresholds, raising concerns over bone health and immunity.
- The Robert Koch-Institut and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung endorse serum 25(OH)D levels of 30–50 ng/ml and advise 800 IU daily for low sun exposure while the EFSA caps safe intake at 4 000 IU.
- A VITAL sub-study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that 2 000 IU of daily Vitamin D slowed telomere shortening, suggesting nearly a three-year biological aging benefit.
- The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung confirms that adequate Vitamin D enhances intestinal magnesium absorption but notes its effect on overall magnesium balance remains unclear.
- Vitamin D blood testing in Germany typically costs €20–35 as an individual health service, with statutory insurers covering tests only when deficiency is clinically suspected.