Why Do We Need Vitamin D In Your Diet?

Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin, and there’s a good reason. It is important to our health and well-being as a whole. Vitamin D is very important for healthy bones and a strong immune system. This piece will discuss vitamin D’s importance to our health and why we need it.

What Is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is made up of vitamin D2 and vitamin D3. When our epidermis is subjected to ultraviolet B (UVB) light from the sun, it makes vitamin D3.

How Do You Get Vitamin D?

The best place to get vitamin D is from the sun. When UVB rays reach the skin, they change a type of cholesterol into a precursor molecule. This molecule is then changed into active vitamin D by the body.

Vitamin D plays a critical role in many bodily functions.

Healthy Bones

Vitamin D promotes intestinal calcium absorption and aids in maintaining adequate blood calcium and phosphorus levels, essential for healthy bone mineralization.

If a kid doesn’t get enough vitamin D, they can get rickets, making their bones soft and look bowlegged. Similarly, vitamin D deficiency in adults manifests as osteomalacia or bone softening. Osteomalacia is characterized by low bone density and muscle frailty.

A chronic deficiency in vitamin D can manifest as osteoporosis.

Immune Function

Getting enough vitamin D may help the immune system work well and lower the chance of autoimmune diseases.

Researchers think that vitamin D is important for the immune system to work. They think there might be a link between not getting enough vitamin D over a long period and getting autoimmune diseases like diabetes, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis. Still, more study needs to be done to prove the connection.

Test-tube studies show that vitamin D improves human cells’ immune reaction, but this hasn’t been proven in controlled human trials yet.

Vitamin D May Fight Disease

Research indicates that vitamin D may also play a role in:

Eliminating the possibility of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). A 2018 assessment of population-based studies discovered that those with low vitamin D levels are more likely to develop multiple sclerosis.

Getting rid of or preventing heart problems. Heart diseases like high blood pressure, heart failure, and stroke are more likely to happen if you don’t get enough vitamin D. It is not clear, though, whether a lack of vitamin D causes heart disease or just shows that someone is in bad health and has a long-term illness.

Getting rid of diseases that could kill people. Even though there are contradictory studies, vitamin D may lower the risk of getting serious flu and COVID-19 illnesses. A new study shows that having too little vitamin D causes acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Keeping the defense system in good shape. People who don’t get enough vitamin D may be more likely to get illnesses or autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Vitamin D May Regulate Mood And Reduce Depression

Research shows that vitamin D may be an important part of controlling mood and lowering the chance of depression.

A review of 7,534 individuals revealed that those with negative emotions who took vitamin D supplements experienced reduced symptoms. Vitamin D supplementation may benefit depressed individuals with vitamin D deficiency.

In a separate study, low amounts of vitamin D were linked to worse fibromyalgia symptoms and anxiety and depression.

It Might Support Weight Loss

People with a greater body mass are likelier to have deficient vitamin D levels.

In one study, obese individuals who received vitamin D supplements in addition to a weight loss diet plan lost more weight and adipose mass than those in the placebo group who only followed the diet plan.

In an earlier trial, participants who took daily vitamin D and calcium supplements lost extra weight than those who took a placebo. The researchers believe that the extra calcium and vitamin D may have decreased hunger.

Although there appears to be a link between vitamin D and weight, current evidence does not support the idea that vitamin D causes weight loss.

Vitamin D Deficiency

Although the body can produce vitamin D, some individuals are more susceptible to deficiency than others. Factors that can affect this include:

Skin color: Pigmentation in the epidermis reduces the capacity of the body to absorb ultraviolet B (UVB) rays from the sun. The epidermis must absorb sunlight to produce vitamin D.
Lack of sun exposure: People who live in northern latitudes or highly polluted areas, work night schedules, or are confined to their homes should consume vitamin D from food sources whenever possible.
Breastfeeding: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 400 international units of vitamin D daily for all breastfed infants.
Aged adults: Age diminishes the skin’s capacity to synthesize vitamin D. Additionally, older individuals may spend more time indoors.
Those with conditions that limit fat absorption: Vitamin D is fat-soluble, so its absorption depends on the digestion of dietary lipids. Conditions that restrict lipid absorption can reduce vitamin D absorption from food.
People with obesity: High body fat levels can reduce the body’s capacity to absorb vitamin D from the skin in obese individuals.
People following a gastric bypass: This procedure bypasses a portion of the upper intestine responsible for vitamin D absorption. This route can result in a deficiency.

What Are The Symptoms Of Vitamin D Deficiency?

Possible vitamin D deficiency symptoms in adults include:

Exhaustion, soreness, and pains
Stress fractures cause severe bone or muscle pain or weakness, particularly in the legs, pelvis, and hips.
A medical professional can use a straightforward blood test to diagnose vitamin D deficiency. If you have a deficiency, your physician may prescribe X-rays to assess your bone density.
If you don’t have enough vitamin D, your doctor will probably tell you to take vitamin D pills. They may suggest high-dose tablets or liquids if you have a serious lack of vitamin D.
You should also ensure that you obtain vitamin D from sunlight and diet.

Risks Of Getting Too Much Vitamin D

Consume too many vitamin D supplements. You may get too much vitamin D. This is unlikely to happen since your body regulates the quantity of vitamin D produced by solar exposure.

Calcium levels in the blood might rise due to vitamin D poisoning. This can lead to a variety of health problems, including: