Health benefits of vitamin D, Know Here

NEW YORK: A human body produces vitamin D as a response to sun exposure. A person can also boost their vitamin D intake through certain foods or supplements. Vitamin D is essential for several reasons, including maintaining healthy bones and teeth. It may also protect against a range of diseases and conditions, such as type 1 diabetes.

Despite its name, vitamin D is not a vitamin, but a prohormone, or precursor of a hormone. Vitamins are nutrients that the body cannot create, and so a person must consume them in the diet. However, the body can produce vitamin D.

During sun exposure, a person's body produces vitamin D. Vitamin D has multiple roles in the body. It assists in– promoting healthy bones and teeth, supporting immune, brain, and nervous system health, regulating insulin levels and supporting diabetes management, supporting lung function and cardiovascular health, influencing the expression of genes involved in cancer development.

Vitamin D plays a significant role in the regulation of calcium and maintenance of phosphorus levels in the blood. These factors are vital for maintaining healthy bones. People need vitamin D to allow the intestines to stimulate and absorb calcium and reclaim calcium that the kidneys would otherwise excrete. Vitamin D deficiency in children can cause rickets, which leads to a severely bowlegged appearance due to the softening of the bones. Similarly, in adults, vitamin D deficiency manifests as osteomalaciaTrusted Source, or softening of the bones. Osteomalacia results in poor bone density and muscular weakness. A vitamin D deficiency can also present as osteoporosis, for which over 53 million people in the United States either seek treatment or face an increased risk.

Sources of vitamin D

Getting sufficient sunlight is the best way to help the body produce enough vitamin D. Plentiful food sources of vitamin D include fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna, egg yolks, cheese, mushrooms, fortified milk, fortified cereals and juices. (Agencies)

Also Read:  Vitamin D Deficiency: Know About the Symptoms, Treatments, Causes and More

Also watch: