Why does the human body need a lot of vitamin D?

Vitamin D helps the body use calcium and phosphorus for strong bones and teeth. A deficiency can lead to rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults.

Experts from the PCC Center, Singapore, said that vitamin D plays a very important role in preventing many diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, rickets... Vitamin D is found in salmon, tuna, milk, eggs, cereals, especially sunlight.

Vitamin D is essential for bone development in young children. Photo: Health.

Vitamin D is the name of a group of fat-soluble prohormones. Prohormones are substances with little hormonal activity, but the body can convert them into hormones. Vitamin D helps the body use calcium and phosphorus to build strong bones and teeth. Deficiency can cause bone weakness leading to rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults.

Most people get vitamin D through exposure to sunlight. The effects of vitamin D on cancer have been widely studied. Several studies by the American Association for Cancer Research have shown a link between increased vitamin D levels and a reduced risk of breast cancer. Specifically, people who get enough vitamin D will reduce the risk of breast cancer by 50%.

A study by Harvard University confirmed that increasing vitamin D levels improves the survival rate of lung cancer patients. This vitamin affects the structure of epithelial cells. If the human body has enough vitamin D, the epithelial cells will always be healthy, thereby reducing the risk of cancer.

Experts recommend that just 10 minutes a day of sun exposure to 40% of your body (without sunscreen) can provide you with up to 5,000 IU of vitamin D. Natural food sources of vitamin D include fatty fish, cod liver oil, and eggs. Most vitamin D comes from fortified foods, such as milk, juice, and breakfast cereals. Dietary supplements can also help ensure adequate vitamin D levels.

Note:Too much vitamin D supplementation should be avoided as it can lead to calcium salts being deposited in soft tissues such as the heart, kidneys, and lungs, causing disease. Excessive dietary vitamin D supplementation can lead to toxicity. Too much sun exposure does not cause vitamin D toxicity, but too much sun exposure increases the risk of skin cancer, so do not expose bare skin to strong sunlight.

According to VNE