Vitamin D Nutrients and Its Benefits

The Nutritional Significance of Vitamin D and Its BenefitsVitamin D is tightly connected with calcium metabolism in the human body. It is a micronutrient that is contained in fat-abundant foods, such as egg yolk, full-fat dairy, high-fat meat and fish. However, vitamin D can also be produced in the skin during the exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D deficiency is common in children and it can cause growth retardation due to a slower bone tissue production associated with insufficient calcium absorption.

Obtaining the right amounts of vitamin D can be tricky because of two things. First, foods that are rich in vitamin D are also rich in cholesterol because it is a fat-soluble vitamin. Individuals who are susceptible to high cholesterol levels may want to limit of the amount of vitamin D-abundant foods, which creates conditions for vitamin deficiency. The second scenario involves insufficient exposure to sunlight during winter months or for individuals living in the northern parts of the globe. These problems can be efficiently solved by taking vitamin D supplements, which are sometimes formulated to contain calcium as well.

How does vitamin D work to maintain a healthy calcium metabolism? The first place where vitamin D’s effects are prominent is the digestive system, and specifically the intestines. Here, vitamin D stimulates calcium absorption from the ingested food by facilitating certain calcium entry channels in intestinal cells.

Vitamin D also participates in the incorporation of calcium in young bone cells, which can stimulate bone growth or bone repair after traumas or fractures. The third place where vitamin D helps maintain an adequate calcium metabolism are the kidneys. Here, vitamin D substantially slows down the elimination of calcium from the bloodstream in an effort to preserve as much calcium as possible.

Preliminary research studies suggest that vitamin D may be very important for hair growth and can facilitate the strength of hair follicles. Medical researchers suggest that vitamin D supplementation may be a potential remedy for baldness or hair loss, but more detailed studies are needed to confirm these beneficial effects of vitamin D.



Leave a Reply

Powered by Buchanan.

%d bloggers like this: