Calciferol Or Commonly Known As Vitamin D

As you take a stroll in the park one fine sunny morning, you would notice that you are accompanied by a lot of babies. You wonder why these babies are out at such an early time of the day and what are they doing under the sun, even without a decent sun block? Are these babies left out to dry in the heat of the morning sun?

The babies are actually absorbing as much Vitamin D as they can get from the rays of the sun. Yes, the ultraviolet rays of the sun is actually a good source of Vitamin D, but it doesn’t mean that you have to stay in the sun all day just to absorb all the Vitamin D. You will only end up with bad sunburn.

Calciferol or Vitamin D is a vitamin that needs fat to be absorbed. It is usually found in food and in the UV rays of the sun. The UV rays stimulate the skin to produce Vitamin D. The kidney and liver also helps in the conversion of Vitamin D into its active form. It can also help in the maintenance of a healthy immunity as well as in cell differentiation and growth.

The function of Vitamin D is to increase how phosphorus and calcium is absorbed in the body. It is needed to promote good bone growth. It also functions as a hormone as it stimulates the production of calcium in other parts of the body.

There are a lot of food products that have been fortified with Vitamin D. Milk is one of the best sources of rickets but for those lactose intolerant, there are still other options for getting Vitamin D. Cereals, eggs, pudding margarine, sardines, tuna fish, salmon, mackerel, and for those who can stomach it, cod liver oil, which contains the highest amount of Vitamin D per serving.

Lack of vitamin D can cause rickets, osteomalacia, and other diseases of the skeletal system that cause the weakening of the bones. Rickets is a disease found in children wherein the bone tissue fails to mineralize. A deficiency in Calciferol occurs when there is a lack of intake of Vitamin D rich foods. People who rarely go out in the sun usually have a Vitamin D deficiency. Those with a kidney disease have a problem in the conversion of Vitamin D into its active form thus creating a deficiency in the effects of Vitamin D. Even prolonged breastfeeding without any Vitamin D supplements can cause a deficiency.

At present, people are becoming more aware of the importance of Vitamin D especially because of an increase in the incidence of osteoporosis within the adult women. More than 25 million adults are afflicted with this condition and yet only a few are doing something about it. Having Vitamin D is important in the diet for the normal function of the body. Anything less will definitely cause a lot of problems.