Gimme that D!
So many vits and mins and who knows why we need them all. If youre not in the know its hard to keep track and remember what where and how of these essisentials. This series of posts looks at each of the essential vitamins and minerals as an easy reference for all that you need.
VITAMIN D:
Vitamin D (Calciferol) is a fat-soluble vitamin found in some foods and supplements. When the skin is exposed to ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight, it triggers the natural internal synthesis of V itamin D.
The Vitamin D is activated through hydroxylation in the liver and kidney.
WHY:
Vitamin D facilitates calcium absorption in the gut, maintaining proper serum calcium and phosphate levels necessary for normal bone mineralization. It is essential for bone growth and remodeling by osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Inadequate Vitamin D can lead to thin, brittle, or misshapen bones, causing rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Together with calcium, Vitamin D helps prevent osteoporosis in older adults.
Aside from its role in bone health, Vitamin D also reduces inflammation and influences various processes like cell growth, neuromuscular function, immune response, and glucose metabolism. It appears to play a critical role in automimmunediseases. Vitamin D modulates genes that control cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis.
D = IMMUNITY
Beyond its traditional impact on calcium and bone balance, vitamin D can act locally in an autocrine manner within the immune system. Vitamin D has the ability to influence both innate and adaptive immune responses. A lack of vitamin D is linked to heightened autoimmunity and an increased vulnerability to infections. Given that immune cells in autoimmune conditions respond to the positive effects of vitamin D, supplementing individuals deficient in vitamin D with autoimmune diseases may offer benefits that go beyond bone and calcium balance.
Magical D and where to find it:
Your best food source is likely to be from cod-liver oil, but VItamin D can be found in fatty fish like trout, salmon, tuna, and mackerel, beef liver, egg yolks, cheese, and UV-treated mushrooms.
References:
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