Benefits
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A human body produces vitamin D as a response to sun exposure. Vitamin D is essential for several reasons, including maintaining healthy bones and teeth. Despite its name, vitamin D is not a vitamin, but a prohormone, or precursor of a hormone.
However, the body can produce vitamin D. In this article, we look at the benefits of vitamin D, what happens to the body when people do not get enough, and how to boost vitamin D intake.
Deficiency
Symptoms Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency may include: regular sickness or infection
fatigue
bone and back pain
low mood
impaired wound healing
hair loss
muscle pain If Vitamin D deficiency continues for long periods, it may result in complications , such as: cardiovascular conditions
autoimmune problems
neurological diseases
infections
pregnancy complications
certain cancers, especially breast, prostate, and colon. 400 IU (10 mcg).
600 IU (15 mcg). Adults up to 70 years: 600 IU (15 mcg). 600 IU (15 mcg).
Adults over 70 years: 800 IU (20 mcg). 800 IU (20 mcg).
How Vitamin D Works
Sunlight is the the body’s main source of vitamin D. There is no set amount of time a person should spend in the sunlight to get a good amount of this vitamin.
However, the Vitamin D Council state that “you don’t need to tan or burn your skin to get vitamin D.” The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) states that short bursts of sun exposure during summer months should be enough. The energy from the sun changes a chemical in the skin to vitamin D 3 , which is then carried to the liver and the kidneys where it is made into active vitamin D. Some foods, such as oily fish, eggs and fortified fat spreads, also contain the vitamin, although these are in very small amounts. Once consumed, it is sent to the liver and processed in the same way.
The Vitamin D Council also state that the vitamin is important for muscle function, the respiratory system, cardiovascular function, brain development, and it even has anti-cancer properties.
Calcium And Vitamin D: A Partnership
For years, healthcare providers have recommended that postmenopausal women take calcium and vitamin D supplements to prevent osteoporosis, a bone-thinning disease that is a major cause of devastating fractures in old age. Research linking calcium supplements to heart attack and stroke caused many to take vitamin D supplements alone for prevention.
“Calcium supplements can increase calcification in the arteries and predispose people, especially women, to heart disease,” he says.