The Nutritional Importance of Vitamin D
Introduction
Vitamin D is well known for its essential role in maintaining healthy bones. Deficiency causes bones to become soft and weak: a condition known as rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. The majority of vitamin D is produced via skin synthesis under the action of sunlight, with smaller amounts from dietary sources such as oily fish, meat and eggs. Adequate exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light is therefore necessary to maintain levels.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. Very few foods naturally contain vitamin D (fatty fish livers are the exception), so dermal synthesis is the major natural source of the vitamin. Vitamin D from the diet or dermal synthesis is biologically inactive and requires enzymatic conversion to active metabolites (figure 1). Vitamin D is converted enzymatically in the liver to 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D), the major circulating form of vitamin D, and then in the kidney to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, the active form of vitamin D.
Vitamin D and its metabolites have a significant clinical role because of their interrelationship with calcium homeostasis and bone metabolism. Rickets (children) and osteomalacia (children and adults) due to severe vitamin D deficiency are now uncommon except in populations with unusually low sun exposure, lack of vitamin D in fortified foods, and malabsorptive syndromes.
Definition
Vitamin D is defined as “any of a group of vitamins found in liver and fish oils, essential for the absorption of calcium and the prevention of rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. They include calciferol ( vitamin D2 ) and cholecalciferol ( vitamin D3 )”
Types of Vitamin D
Several forms (vitamers) of vitamin D exist. The two major forms are vitamin D2 or ergocalciferol, and vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol. These are known collectively as calciferol.
Sources of Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a type of nutrient that the body produces when a person’s skin has exposure to direct sunlight. High quantities of vitamin D are present in oily fish and certain types of mushrooms.According to the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), the key benefit of vitamin D is that it helps keep a person’s bones, muscles, and nerves healthy. It also contributes to a healthy immune system.
It is present in egg yolks if the chickens laying them are free-range. Some mushrooms also contain vitamin D.
If a person has concerns that they are not getting enough vitamin D from direct sunlight, consuming the following foods will help increase the overall amount they have in their bodies.
Functions of Vitamin D
Your body must have vitamin D to absorb calciumand promote bone growth. Too little vitamin D results in soft bones in children (rickets) and fragile, misshapen bones in adults (osteomalacia). You also need vitamin D for other important body functions.
Having enough vitamin D available to your cells and tissues may also help protect you from certain types of cancer, including colon, breast and prostate cancer. Harvard School of Health reports that people who live at higher latitudes have relatively high rates of death from colon cancer, possibly
Vitamin Deficiency
Vitamin D deficiency is incredibly common and most people are unaware of it.
That’s because the symptoms are often subtle and non-specific, meaning that it’s hard to know if they’re caused by low vitamin D levels or something else.
If you think you may have a deficiency, it’s important that you speak to your doctor and get your blood levels measured.
Fortunately, a vitamin D deficiency is usually easy to fix.
You can either increase your sun exposure, eat more vitamin-D-rich foods, such as fatty fish or fortified dairy products. You can also find a variety of vitamin D supplements on Amazon.
Fixing your deficiency is simple, easy and can have big benefits for your health.
Conclusion
• Eating foods rich in vitamin D and spending 15-20 minutes each day in natural sunlight are the best strategies for preventing vitamin D deficiency.
• lifestyle strategies that may support healthy vitamin D levels include:
• Maintain a healthy body weight: Try taking walks outside to get daily exercise and exposure to sunlight.
• Monitoring and treating medical conditions: This especially applies to those that effect gut, liver, and kidney health.
• Using vitamin D supplements: Particularly for infants who are being breast-fed.
• Talking to a doctor about any changes in health: Particularly if there is a family history of osteoporosis or vitamin D deficiency.
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