Vitamin D Deficiency, Why a lack of is Vitamin D Important

Hello all! The very word ‘vitamin D’ reminds me of the Bournvita ad. They have said it loud and clear that ‘Vitamin D ke bina dosh ka calcium waste ho jata hai’. So Bournvita is fortified with Vitamin D so that kids don’t miss out on their calcium.

Let me tell you what crossed my mind when I saw this ad for the first time. I just thought, why do they need to add vitamin D to the health drink? Doesn’t our body synthesize it in the presence of sunlight?

It may have been the case with you all, too. But now I think this is done to ensure that the children don’t suffer from Rickets, which is a disease caused by vitamin D deficiency.

Oh well, allow me to proceed and tell you more about Vitamin D deficiency.

Trending

Hip Flexor Exercise, The 7 Best for Improving Physical Health

It is a fat-soluble vitamin, and it is also called the ‘sunshine vitamin’ as it is synthesized by the body under sunlight (So we should worship the Sun God every morning!!).

Why is Vitamin D Important?

• It is an immune system regulator and helps the immune system fight disorders like the common cold.

• This is vital for the absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorus, and both are needed for the maintenance of healthy bones.

• It plays a key role in maintaining cognitive functions, where the word cognitive refers to awareness, perception, reasoning, and judgment.

• I am sure that you would be happy to hear this! Vitamin D plays an important role in maintaining a healthy body weight, according to a study.

• It is known to reduce the severity and frequency of asthma symptoms.

• It has been shown to reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis in women.

• This protects from radiation damage (low levels of radiation).

• Studies have shown that people with adequate levels of vitamin D have a considerably lower risk of developing cancer.

• It rapidly enables recovery from TB.

• Low levels of vitamin D may increase the risk of heart attack and early death. So it becomes essential to maintain adequate levels of this vitamin in the body.

What happens when the body is deficient?

• Bone pain and muscle weakness ( a sign of deficiency)
• Little children might develop rickets, a condition in which there is a softening of bones. They may also be affected by asthma.

Now the question arises: why is there a deficiency of the sunshine vitamin in the body?

Deficiency can be due to any of the following reasons:

1. If you have a strict vegetarian diet.  Only animal products are good sources of vitamins.
2. If you don’t expose yourself to sunlight. We have ample sunshine here in India, but you may be using too much sunblock/sunscreen or staying indoors always.
3. If there is more melanin pigmentation in your skin. It may become difficult to synthesize Vitamin D in such a case.
4. Obesity can cause lower levels of vitamins in the body.
5. The digestive tract might not be absorbing the vitamin from the food.

Foods rich in Vitamin D

• Fish
• Milk
• Eggs
• Cereal(the ones that are fortified)
• Mushroom
• Orange juice