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The most potent source of
Vitamin D is the sun. Although to be more accurate, it is the
action of the sun’s energy on melanin in human skin actually produces
the Vitamin D. Given the easy access to sunlight, it would seem that of
all vitamins, this is one that we would never need to introduce in
supplement form into our diets. And yet, this is not necessarily the
case.
Like
calcium,
Vitamin D is necessary for strong teeth and
bones. Since fewer Americans are drinking Vitamin D-fortified, many
Americans are experiencing a deficiency. Vitamin D is obtained through
foods as well and through exposure to sunlight. Because of the concern
of skin cancer, many have decreased their exposure to the sun.
A deficiency in
Vitamin D is a
significant problem for post-menopausal women. Because
calcium supplementation cannot reverse osteoporosis alone,
Vitamin D is required to boost its absorption rate. Together, they
may reverse or prevent osteoporosis if taken regularly before menopause.
Low levels of
Vitamin D may result
in high blood pressure and may also cause
calcium buildup in the arteries, which may result in a heart
attack or stroke.
Vitamin D deficiency has also been associated
with obesity.
 Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally
present in very few foods, added to others, and available as a dietary
supplement. It is also produced endogenously when ultraviolet rays from
sunlight strike the skin and trigger
Vitamin D synthesis.
Vitamin D obtained from sun exposure, food, and supplements is
biologically inert and must undergo two hydroxylations in the body for
activation. The first occurs in the liver and converts
Vitamin D to 25-hydroxyvitamin D, also known as calcidiol. The second occurs
primarily in the kidney and forms the physiologically active
1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, also known as calcitriol.
Vitamin D is essential for promoting
calcium absorption in the gut and maintaining adequate
serum
calcium and phosphate concentrations to enable normal
mineralization of bone and prevent hypocalcemic tetany. Without
sufficient
Vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or
misshapen. Vitamin D sufficiency prevents rickets in children and
osteomalacia in adults
Calcium and vitamin D also helps protect older adults from
osteoporosis.
Vitamin D has other roles in human health, including modulation
of neuromuscular and immune function and reduction of inflammation. Many
genes encoding proteins that regulate cell proliferation,
differentiation, and apoptosis are modulated in part by
Vitamin D.
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Vitamin Products
Product statements have not been
evaluated by the FDA.
Products not intended to treat, cure, or prevent diseases.
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