Vitamin D
Vitamin D is fat soluble.
Some of Vitamin D's normal functions:
- regulates proper bone growth and repair
- maintains hardness of teeth and bones
- helps maintain a proper balance of calcium and phosphorous
- co-enzyme involved in kidney, liver, and intestinal metabolism
You've probably heard that sunlight is needed for the supply of Vitamin D. Obviously the
sun does not shoot vitamin D directly into your body. Sunlight helps your body
manufacture vitamin D, somewhat similar to the way sunlight helps green plants
manufacture Chlorophyll.
Choloesterol oils normally present on the skin are converted to vitamin D when they
absorb the ultraviolet rays in sunshine. Actually, it is converted to
vitamin D3, which is officially known as cholecalciferol.
Without vitamin D, calcium is insoluble, meaning your body cannot
absorb it. Vitamin D lets your body absorb calcium out of the
bloodstream.
Milk and some other foods usually have vitamin D added, but a few foods have
substantial natural amounts of the stuff, among them liver, salmon and mackerel,
fish liver oils and eggs yolks.
Most of us can churn out enough vitamin D to get by with about 10 to 15 minutes
of exposure to the sun. People who go through long, dark winters are often
low on vitamin D.
A lack of vitamin D in children leads to a disease called rickets. Since vitamin
D is needed to absorb calcium, and children need lots of calcium when their bones are
growing, it is easy to guess the outcome of a lack of vitamin D. Just remember, only
15 minutes of sunshine per day is usually enough. In adults, bones can soften,
and excess tooth decay may occur.
Too much vitamin D can lead to an excess of calcium in the body. This can
lead to calcium deposits in kidneys, blodd vessels, and the skin.
Related articles:
Vitamin D Deficiency as you age
Vitamin D Deficiency and Bone Health
Vitamin D Deficiency from a Fear of the Sun
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