Vitamin D is must for your good health and longevity

Vitamin D is a vital hormone that comes from sunshine and unique in the sense that this is the only vitamin that can be produced by our own body. The shortage of vitamin D can cause weakness in muscles, pain in joints, morning sickness and physical weakness.  To measure the levels of vitamin D in our body 25-hydroxy vitamin D test is conducted, which is advised after the age of forty once every year. In case of persons, suffering from weak bones with lower bone mass due to hollowness must begin the test at an early age to determine the causes of the same. This is vital for your health and longevity.

We are short of Vitamin D

This is surprising to note that people in India suffering from paucity of Vitamin D where this is sunny almost whole of the year barring a few weeks when the sun goes behind the clouds. As we know that Vitamin D is kind of steroid hormone produced by our skin in presence of sun light, which is an essential item for the development of our body and bones. This is a matter of great concern as to why people face shortage of vitamin D, especially in urban areas despite the fact that there is no shortage of sun light in most parts of our country.

Vitamin D plays an important role in the development and maintenance of our body as a steroid hormone that our skin produces in presence of sunny conditions although   categorized in the list of vitamins, the organic compounds mandatory for our body although not in big quantities. Vitamin D not needed in big quantity too but different from other vitamins because our own body produces this particular vitamin. 

Our body and vitamin D

Vitamin D considered an essential part of our overall health that controls immune system and provides strength to our bones. It remains ineffective unless sent to kidney by liver properly digested, once our skin completes its production. Vitamin D becomes active to take part with different actions only after converted by liver and kidney to joint with its own receptor known as vitamin D receptor. Vitamin D is helpful in controlling levels of calcium and phosphorus by helping in absorption of these two. 

Importance of vitamin D

Lack of vitamin D is main cause of Osteoporosis, a disease related to bones, mostly suffered by elderly persons especially women. The patients of osteoporosis mainly suffer from weak and hollow bones due to lack of calcium. The combination of proper vitamin D and calcium considered good to keep the danger of cancer away in particular. Vitamin D is also useful in keeping brain active and helps keep asthma away. Shortage of vitamin D may cause rickets, a disease that softens the bones especially infants breast-fed because the human milk does not contain enough vitamin D. 

Women with lack of vitamin D may get obesity easily, and vitamin D lessens the dangers of high blood pressure and heart attacks. Vitamin D is found in thirty-eight different body cells and every such body cell has important role to play. Vitamin D works as a catalyst in producing antibacterial agents in blood cells and helps strengthening disease resistance system of the body. Vitamin D also helps in proper function of heart muscles.

People in cities are more affected

Despite the fact that vitamin D is a hormone produced by our skin in sun light and India where sun light is available a plenty almost everywhere the people are at risk of increasing shortage of vitamin D especially in urban areas. People in these areas have less than 20ng/ml of vitamin D against least quantity required 30ng/ml according to Indian conditions. The main reason of shortage of vitamin D in urban area is that people do not stay out in sun during 10am to 5pm working in their offices or busy in their other jobs indoors at the time sunrays have most vitamin D. 

Another reason for most urban Indians lack vitamin D that a human body must be without clothes almost 90% where as the Indian dresses allow only about 25% open body parts open to sun rays. The amount of melanin found in our body makes it mandatory to spend more time under the sun where as we do not do so and try to shield ourselves from the glaring sunlight as much as possible. 

The lack of vitamin D

India is a country with most people having vegetarian eating habits that make them suffer more from shortage of vitamin D as egg and fish providing good source of the same are not parts of the diet of most Indians. In addition, we are not the country where grains and milk are fortified with vitamin D as in most of the developed countries. The worst affected from the shortage of vitamin D, the children who suffer from weak muscles and at danger of broken bones. In adults, the paucity of the same comes generally in shape of pain in muscles and arthritis.

The problem of shortage of vitamin D may occur in persons of any age group, determined by certain blood tests. In such cases, most doctors prescribe supplements to treat the patients suffering from shortage of the same although this particular shortage can be fixed by staying some time in sunlight in noontime without applying any sunscreen lotions. However, the duration should not be too long, as this may prove harmful for your skin due to presence of ultraviolet rays. 

Nevertheless, basking under the sun may prove helpful for persons suffering from shortage of vitamin D, especially, in urban areas. The people in rural areas who work under the sun in their fields suffer least from shortage of this particular vitamin. Aged people, with dark complexion, who remain confined to their homes or offices are the worst suffers of paucity of vitamin D in their system because the skin of their body does not get ample  opportunity to produce Vitamin D are advised for the same in shape of supplements. 

The reasons for shortage of Vitamin D-

A- The skin of people beyond a certain age group stops producing vitamin D 

B- Staying inside homes especially in air conditioned rooms 

C- Avoiding sunlight fearing of ultraviolet rays

D- Working in night-shifts

E- Lack of outdoor activities

F- People suffering from obesity lack vitamin D is soluble in fat

G- Level of vitamin D is normally lower in winters due to lower sunlight

H- People suffering from cancer generally have a very low level of vitamin D. 

The sources of Vitamin D

The sun is best known source of vitamin D in our body, which contains d1, d2, d3, d4 and d5. Out of these five vitamin d2 and d3 are most important for human needs, which are also known as calciferol in combined shape. As we, all know that staying out in sunshine enables our body absorb sunrays, which in turn produce vitamin D. Ultraviolet rays considered harmful for our skin considered necessary for our body if our skin is exposed for the same for a limited period of 10-15 minutes twice a week in peak sunny hours.  Milk, eggs, chicken, fishes especially salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardine are also good source of vitamin D apart from sunrays 

Excess of every thing is bad 

The excess of vitamin D known as hypervitaminosis of a particular vitamin also overdose of this vitamin increases the calcium serum in the body that is harmful for heart, calculi the stones in kidney and other organs of the body. The excess of vitamin D also increases the risk of some other problems as tuberculosis and hyperthyroidism although the cases of toxicity of vitamin D are reported seldom. Vitamin D stored in our body in shape of calcidiol is harmful in case of level of the same goes up by ten to twenty times more than the normal level.