Vitamin D the sunshine vitamin

Why is Vitamin D important?

Why is Vitamin D important?

Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium. Calcium is one of the main building blocks of bone strength and density. 

Vitamin D also has a role in your nervous system, muscle and immune systems and for healthy teeth and bones. 

You can get vitamin D in three ways: through your skin, from your diet, and from supplements. Your body forms vitamin D naturally after exposure to sunlight.

Although eating a well-balanced diet can help ensure the normal functioning of the immune system, no individual nutrient, food or supplement is going to “boost” it beyond normal levels.

It’s difficult to get enough vitamin D from food alone.

Who is  at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency:

  • Breastfed infants, because human milk is a poor source of vitamin D. If you are breastfeeding, give your infant a supplement of 400 IU of vitamin D every day.

  • Older adults, because your skin doesn’t make vitamin D when exposed to sunlight as efficiently as when you were young, and your kidneys are less able to convert vitamin D to its active form.

  • Dark skinned people, which have less ability to produce vitamin D from the sun.

  • People with disorders such as Crohn’s disease or celiac disease who don’t handle fat properly, because vitamin D needs fat to be absorbed.

  • Obesity, because the body fat binds to some vitamin D and prevents it from getting into the blood. 

  • People who have had gastric bypass surgery or with osteoporosis, with hyperparathyroidism (too much of a hormone that controls the body’s calcium level), with sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, histoplasmosis, or other granulomatous disease (disease with granulomas, collections of cells caused by chronic inflammation), conditions like some lymphomas, a type of cancer. People who take medicines that affect vitamin D metabolism.

Bio-Vitamin D3 from Dulwich Health

Vitamin D and sunbathing

Sunlight is a good way to source vitamin D, however take care to cover up or protect your skin with sunscreen to prevent burning and damage as strong sun can burn your skin so you need to balance making vitamin D with being safe in the sun. 
 
A lack of Vitamin D (also known as Hypovitaminosis D, Low Vitamin D) can lead to a bone deformity illness called rickets in children, and a similar bone weakness condition called osteomalacia (softening of the bone structure) in adults.

Also some studies suggest avoiding Vitamin D deficiency helps our resilience to common colds and flu.

What causes vitamin D deficiency?

  • You don’t get enough vitamin D in your diet
  • You don’t absorb enough vitamin D from food (a malabsorption problem)
  • You don’t get enough exposure to sunlight.
  • Your liver or kidneys cannot convert vitamin D to its active form in the body.
  • You take medicines that interfere with your body’s ability to convert or absorb vitamin D

How can I get more vitamin D?

There are a few foods that naturally have some vitamin D:
Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel. Beef liver. Cheese, mushrooms and egg yolks.

You can also get vitamin D from fortified foods. You can check the food labels to find out whether a food has vitamin D. Foods that often have added vitamin D include milk, breakfast cereals., orange juice, some dairy products, such as yogurt and soy drinks
Some Vitamin D is present in many multivitamins. There are also vitamin D supplements, both in pills and a liquid (easier for babies).

If you have vitamin D deficiency, check with your health care provider about how much you need to take, how often and how long you need to take it.

General guidelines for the amount of vitamin D you need each day depends on your age.
The recommended amounts, in
international units (IU), are:
Birth to 12 months: 400 IU
Children 1-13 years: 600 IU
Teens 14-18 years: 600 IU
Adults 19-70 years: 600 IU
Adults 71 years and older: 800 IU
Pregnant and breastfeeding women: 600 IU

Bio-Vitamin D3 D-Pearls®

Bio-Vitamin D3 contains 20mcg (800iu)
vitamin D3.

Ingredients
Bulking agent: Olive oil. Capsule shell: Bovine gelatine Humectant: Glycerol, purified water Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol) Olive oil, Gelatine (Halal approved) Glycerol, Purified water.

Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin.