Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that is found in food and can also be made in your body after exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. Sunshine is a significant source of Vitamin D because UV rays from sunlight trigger Vitamin D synthesis in the skin. Vitamin D exists in several forms, each with a different level of activity. Calciferol is the most active form of Vitamin D. Other forms are relatively inactive in the body. Vitamin D is necessary to calcium and phosphorus utilization. It promotes strong bones and teeth, prevents rickets, works to maintain good health and vitality. It protects against muscle weakness; helps regulate the heart (through calcium absorption); aids in the absorption of calcium and helps to build bone mass and prevent bone loss; and helps maintain blood levels of calcium and phosphorous. The classical manifestations of Vitamin D deficiency is rickets, which is seen in children and results in bony deformaties including bowed long bones. Deficiency in adults leads to the disease osteomalacia. Both rickets and osteomalacia reflect impaired mineralization of newly synthesized bone matrix, and usually result from a combination of inadequate exposure to sunlight and decreased dietary intake of Vitamin D.
The major biologic function of Vitamin D is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. It aids in the absorption of calcium, helping to form and maintain strong bones. It promotes bone mineralization in concert with a number of other vitamins, minerals, and hormones. Without vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, soft, or misshapen. Vitamin D sufficiency prevents rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, two forms of skeletal diseases that weaken bones. Research also suggests that Vitamin D may help maintain a healthy immune system and help regulate cell growth and differentiation, the process that determines what a cell is to become. Other chronic diseases and illnesses which can be treated and managed with the Vitamin D include psoriasis and scleroderma.
References:
All Natural. http://www.allnatural.net/herbpages/vitamin-d.shtml
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp
http://supplementnews.org/vitamin-d/
