Vitamin D

Vitamin D is Good For

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin found in certain foods and is manufactured in the skin as a result of direct exposure to sunlight. The liver and kidneys convert vitamin D from food sources or sunlight to its active form, calcitriol. Vitamin D helps the body maintain healthy levels of calcium and phosphorus and is therefore essential for building and maintaining healthy bones. Calcium, which is the principal element in bone, can be absorbed by the body only when vitamin D is present. Vitamin D and calcium are involved in many body functions, including keeping the immune and nervous systems healthy.

Sources of Vitamin D

Two forms of vitamin D, cholecalciferol and ergocalciferol, are naturally found in foods and are added to milk. It is important to note that the milk used to make yogurt and cheese is usually not vitamin D fortified. Foods sources of vitamin D include the following: cod liver oil, fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, herring; Vitamin D fortified milk and cereal, eggs.

Vitamin D Deficiencies

Rickets, a vitamin D deficiency disease responsible for softening and weakening bones in children, used to be quite common but now is rarely seen in countries that have adopted the practice of fortifying milk products.