Vitamin D | Why Does the Body Need it

Vitamin D: Why Does the Body Need it

Vitamin D is a group of Bio-active substances 

Which are formed under the influence of ultraviolet rays in the skin and enter the human body with food.

The Action of vitamin D:

1. provides normal growth and development of bones, prevents the development of rickets and osteoporosis, by regulating mineral metabolism;
2. promotes muscle tone, improves immunity, is necessary for the functioning of the thyroid gland and normal blood clotting;
3. Helps the body to restore the protective shells surrounding the nerves;
4. participates in the regulation of blood pressure and heartbeat;
5. prevents the growth of cancers and cells.
6. The effects of vitamin D on the body are being studied:
7. senile dementia and Alzheimer's disease;
8. Cognitive functions (mental disorders), especially in aging individuals;
9. Mood disorders, especially depression in older people;
10. autoimmune diseases, such as psoriasis.

Sources of vitamin D

Provided that the body receives sufficient UV radiation, the need for vitamin D is fully compensated. However, the amount of vitamin D synthesized by sunlight depends on factors such as:

1. the wavelength of light (the most effective is the average spectrum of waves we receive in the morning and at sunset;
2. initial pigmentation of the skin and (the darker the skin, the less vitamin D is produced by sunlight);
3. Age (aging skin loses its ability to synthesize vitamin D);
4. Atmospheric pollution (industrial emissions and dust do not allow the spectrum of ultraviolet rays that can synthesize vitamin D to pass through, which explains, in particular, the high prevalence of rickets in children living in industrial cities in Africa and Asia).

The need for vitamin D is compensated by vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), which is formed in the skin from pro-vitamins under the influence of ultraviolet rays of sunlight. Pro-vitamins are partially supplied to the body by plants and partially formed in the tissues of their cholesterol.

Additional sources of vitamin D are dairy products, fish oil, fish liver, caviar, egg yolk. In practice, however, milk and dairy products do not always contain vitamin D or only trace amounts (e.g. 100 g of cow's milk contains only 0.05 mg of vitamin D), so their consumption, unfortunately, cannot guarantee that our need for this vitamin D is covered.

Oatmeal, potatoes, parsley, as well as some herbs such as alfalfa, dandelion, nettle and horsetail also contain small amounts of vitamin D.

 Daily Requirement for Vitamin D

The daily requirement for vitamin D is 2.5-5 µg. The increased need for vitamin D contributes to the lack of ultraviolet radiation, dark skin, old age, vegetarianism and adherence to diets with low fat content, digestive disorders, pregnancy and lactation, period of intensive growth and development. Such people need additional vitamin D intake.
In the treatment of high doses of vitamin D recommended to simultaneously prescribe vitamin A (retinol), as well as ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and vitamin B.