Vitamin D - Discover The Essential Facts of The Sunshine Vitamin And How It Affects Your Health!

Vitamin D is also called as "calciferol". It has been given this name because it boosts the calcium deposits in our bones. It is a fat soluble vitamin. 

Since the last couple of years, many food products are being fortified with this essential vitamin to ensure that its deficiency does not occur as it is very important for skeletal and bone growth.

It can be classified into 2 types - Vitamin D2 and D3.

It is also called as the sunshine vitamin. Our body produces this vitamin from cholesterol when it comes into contact with the ultraviolet radiation present in sunrays.

Fair skinned people require 30 minutes while dark skinned people require 3 hours of unfiltered sunlight to manufacture a similar amount of vitamin due to their dark pigmentation.

Functions of Vitamin D

Although it is classified as a fat soluble vitamin, this essential vitamin functions more like a hormone. One of its most primary functions is that it works together with parathyroid hormone (PTH) in maintaining normal levels of phosphorus and calcium in the blood.

It helps in the proper absorption of calcium in the bones. This helps in the formation and maintenance of strong bones. A deficiency of this vitamin results in soft, tender and brittle bones.

The sunshine vitamin is essential for adults as well as children. It prevents the occurrence of osteomalacia in adults and rickets in children.

It also plays a key role in the regulation of cellular growth and the functioning of the brain cells. Calcitriol plays a major role in the lifecycle of our body cells. Thus, this essential vitamin plays an important role in the treatment and prevention of certain cancers.