Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, but the term vitamin D actually refers to a group of vitamins instead of just one vitamin. The two main vitamins within the vitamin D group are vitamin D2 and vitamin D3. There are many benefits of vitamin D, and all of these are required for proper function. If you have a D vitamin deficiency, the calcium and phosphorus in the blood will not be regulated correctly. Also, if you have a deficiency of vitamin D, you will have less healthy bones and your immune system will not be in tip-top shape. Vitamin D deficiency symptoms can include liver and kidney problems, as well as a variety of other difficulties.

Vitamin D sources include a variety of things, and one of the most common is sunlight. Sunlight provides vitamin D through UVB rays after 10 minutes in the sun, typically only after the sun is above a 45 degree angle. With more exposure than this, such as a tanning bed as a vitamin D source, the vitamin will simply regenerate as fast as it is absorbed. Vitamin D testing on this subject has shown that there is no extra benefit to extra exposure this way. Sources of vitamin D are not limited to the sun, however, and you can find many products that offer vitamin D in food form. Foods with vitamin D do not naturally contain this vitamin, however, and these foods have typically been fortified. This includes milk, margarine, cereals, and more. All food sources of vitamin D have had this added into it to make ingestion easier and more common.

If you don’t get enough vitamin D in your diet, you can take a vitamin D supplement to make up the difference. In certain situations, it may be recommended by your doctor, such as after a surgery for gallbladder vitamin D. This can often help the immune system and prevent tumors from forming within the body. If you do take a vitamin D supplement, you want to be sure you do not overdose on vitamin D. Since vitamin D is fat soluble, this means that any extra in the body is stored in the liver. A vitamin D overdose can result in problems within the body, so it is important to check the vitamin D toxicity level on all supplements you take so you be sure you aren’t getting too much.