About 50 years ago, scientists observed a delay in the growth of children living in cold areas and osteoporosis, which causes rickets, but these cases have been significantly reduced in tropical countries. After many research, it was concluded that the cause of bone marrow Is the lack of a specific substance in the body called vitamin D, and this vitamin can be obtained from the transformation of a substance in the tissues of subcutaneous fat cells called vitamin D after skin exposure to the sun, and therefore called vitamin sun.
Its importance
- Helps absorb calcium and phosphate from digested food in the small intestine.
- Maintains the level of calcium and phosphates in the blood.
- Reduces calcium absorption in the kidney.
- It has a primary role in the deposition of calcium and phosphate in the bones, leading to the maturation of bone cells, thus strengthening them and bone growth.
- Reduces the spread of cancer cells.
Symptoms of deficiency
Although vitamin D is very important, its deficiency often does not cause symptoms, until the bones begin to soften. However, chronic muscle and bone pain, or fractures when exposed to a minor incident, recurrent sore throat, colds, prolonged injury, and mood swings may be An indicator of its shortfall.
Prevention of deficiency
Vitamin D should be obtained in sufficient quantities from its sources:
- Sunlight, and exposure to it in the morning before ten o’clock, and the afternoon after the fourth hour, but without the use of sunscreen.
- Fatty fish such as sardines, tuna, salmon, and fish oil.
- Milk and milk products.
- yolk.
- Cattle and poultry liver.
The person may get enough vitamin D of his food, but he also suffers from lack of it, due to poor absorption of the intestines, or the result of some diseases such as liver diseases, kidneys, or some medications such as epilepsy drugs, and the elderly suffer from vitamin D deficiency Because the proportion of Provitamin D in the body decreases with age, less ability to get it from the sun, or excess obesity so that it is stored in fat without the benefit of the body.
Complications of deficiency
- Growth retardation in children, such as tooth growth, height, child’s ability to walk, and rickets.
- Osteoporosis and fractures in adults.
- Muscle weakness in older people.
- Increase the incidence of cancer, especially cancers of the breast, prostate and colon.
- Increased incidence of high blood pressure, diabetes and tuberculosis.
- Weakness of the heart muscle.
- Depression and mental illness.