Vitamin D
For health, human needs many nutrients such as minerals and vitamins. Vitamin D is one of the most important vitamins of the human body because it contributes mainly to bone formation and deficiency, which leads to many problems, most notably chronic diseases affecting the bones, for example. It can also protect against various kinds of cancers, immune diseases and heart disease. The main function of vitamin D is to maintain the balance of minerals in the body, such as calcium and phosphorus. And talking about the normal levels of this vitamin in the body, it is 30 and more / ng / l or 75 nmol / l, and the quantities required of vitamin D will be as follows:
- For newborns up to the first year of age, they must receive approximately 400 IUs.
- Children, above the year and adults, should receive approximately 600 IUs.
- For older people, for example, the age of 70 years needs more than 800 IU in the event of exposure to sunlight, but without exposure it needs 1000 IU.
Reasons for lack thereof
For reasons leading to Vitamin D deficiency, it is as follows:
- First is not to get enough sunlight.
- Women are more likely to develop menopause.
- As you age, the production of the vitamin D essential substance is reduced.
- Excess weight and obesity, because they lead to the accumulation of vitamin within the fat.
- Malnutrition and non-intake of foods containing this vitamin.
- The incidence of certain diseases increases the likelihood of deficiency, especially diseases of the liver and kidneys.
- Take certain drugs such as epilepsy drugs and some genetic medicines that children eat because they cause phosphate secretion inside the kidney.
Treatment of deficiency
As to how to address this shortage, it is as follows:
- Exposure to sunlight, because it is the main source of vitamin D, by exposure to noon twice a week as well as rays of sunrise and sunset, preferably keep the feet and legs exposed during exposure.
- Take care to eat foods that contain vitamin D such as, tuna, liver, egg yolk, butter, sardines in addition to milk added vitamin D.
- If you do not take advantage of previous solutions, go to your doctor to prescribe vitamin D supplements or medicine tablets with 50,000 IUs per week for 8 weeks, 5000 IUs will be taken day after day for 2 months, Vitamin D If less than 30 ng the dose is repeated for 8 weeks, the patient is given preventive treatment ranging from 800-1000 IU or 50,000 units per month, or adequate sun exposure for 30 minutes.