Traditionally people believe that Vitamin D is very important for the absorption of Calcium and good bone health. It is required to know for all of us that Vitamin D is the only vitamin that the body makes on its own in any amounts according to the exposures provided to it. The fact is that the people following vegetarian diets will always have the deficiency of Vitamin D3 as there is no food that provides Vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is formed in the skin by exposure to UV-B sunlight. So doctors are advising people not to avoid the sunlight. Rather they are encouraging that exposure to sun should be anything between 5 minutes to 30 minutes between 10 AM to 3 PM at least twice in a week without applying sunscreen lotion. And this vitamin is fat soluble so it can be stored in the body for several months without the body being exposed to sunlight.

Vitamin D properly regulates calcium levels in the body by enhancing calcium absorption and increases bone density. As calcium also helps maintain muscle strength, vitamin D deficiency results in leg muscle weakness and an increase in falls in older people. There are many studies which show that Vitamin D3 has positive effects on bone mineral augmentation in children and in adults. Even maternal Vitamin D status during the pregnancy affects the bone health of the upcoming child.

Special studies by experts indicate that the causes of deficiency of Vitamin D include:

1. Children these days are keener to stay indoor for watching televisions and for doing computer related other activities & outdoor exposure is made less.
2. Liberal use of sunscreen minimizes vitamin D synthesis in the skin.
3. Living among tall buildings in urban environments results in less sunlight exposure.
4. Many children have poor diets and do not consume enough dietary sources of vitamin D, such as fortified dairy products.
5. Consumption of soft drinks by youngsters is one of the major reasons of Vitamin D deficiency.
6. People with dark skin don’t absorb sunlight as easily as other white and grey skinned people and are more prone to vitamin D deficiency.

Some common food sources for Vitamin D are salmon, Tuna, Milk, Vitamin D fortified orange juice, Soy beverage, Margarine, Breakfast cereals, Eggs etc.

To put the pen down regarding the little knowledge about Vitamin D, we just want to put up here that make sure you follow a healthy lifestyle and encourage yourself to go outdoor and add such food to your diets that contains Vitanim D.