'The Sunshine Vitamin' l The Importance of Vitamin D
Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, is an essential micronutrient needed for normal homeostasis in the body. Vitamin D is generally absorbed through the skin by the sun and plays an important role of regulating of calcium and phosphorus in the body by stimulating the bone reabsorption.
So why is Vitamin D Important?
Vitamin D contributes to the formation and maintenance of bone throughout the whole lifespan by providing the support of normal growth and development. Vitamin D most generally comes from ultraviolet rays from the sun which is absorbed into the skin and forms the pre vitamin D3. It is recommended that adults need to get at least 15 minutes of sunlight in the middle of the day, without sunscreen each day to receive an adequate amount of Vitamin D for their body’s needs.
Vitamin D3 is not in its active form when first absorbed in the skin and requires to go through a process called hydroxylation, which is introducing a hydroxyl group to the organic compound The hydroxylation process begins in the liver and then the kidneys to form a biologically active form of Vitamin D. Thereafter, the parathyroid hormone begins to regulate calcium throughout the body using this active form of Vitamin D.
Vitamin D can also be found in foods such as fish, naturally exposed mushrooms and specially fortified foods with added Vitamin D such as orange juice. Dietary sources of Vitamin D are absorbed into the lymphatic system via chylomicrons and then transported to the liver and kidneys to reach full activation.
Vitamin D deficiency
It has been shown almost 50% of the population has some kind of Vitamin D insufficiency, by factors such as the use of sunscreen, the time of day when the person is outside and what season it is. Furthermore, people who most commonly experience Vitamin D deficiency are breastfed infants, older adults, people with little sunshine exposure and people with darker skin tones.
Vitamin D deficiency can cause an array of issues in any stage of life. Generally, the deficiency is present through abnormalities in the metabolism of calcium, phosphorus and bone. In children this can come in the form of rickets where the bones have not developed correctly, making the legs bow out. Deficiencies overall cause a decrease in bone density, which makes the bone brittle or soft causing diseases such as osteomalacia & osteopenia. Osteoporosis is the most serious of the bone deficient diseases and mostly affects women and men over the ages of 70 which creates thinning of the bones which can cause easy fractures (Sunyecz, 2008). This is because when a person ages calcium synthesis decreases making for brittle bones more commonly at an older age.
As you can see Vitamin D is essential part of the regulation of homeostasis in the body. All you need is 15 minutes of sunshine everyday in order to receive adequate amounts and to keep your bones healthy and strong.
Disclaimer: Please seek professional medical advice for any diagnosis and treatment.
- Kelsey from the Intuitive Wellness Studio
References
D. Queiroz. A. Silva, A. Diniz, A. Carvalho, E. Araújo, J. Neves, L. Lacerda, L. Toscano. (2019). Vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency and its association with cardiometabolic risk factors in Brazilian adolescents. Nutricion Hospitalaria. Vol. 36. Pg 146-148. doi. 10.20960/nh.1884
E. Whitney, Sharon Rolfes, T. Crowe, A. Walsh (2016). Vitamin D. Understanding Nutrition. Page 394 – 397. Retrieved from: https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.laureate.net.au/lib/think/reader.action?docID=5024519
J. Sunyecz. (2008). Th use of calcium and vitamin D in the management of osteoporosis. Therapeautics and Risk Management. pg 827- 836. doi: 10.2147/tcrm.s3552
R. Nair, A. Maseesh. (2012). Vitamin D “the sunshine vitamin”. Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics. Pg 118-182. doi: 10.4103/0976-500X.95506