Vitamin D
Vitamin D is one of the important vitamins that the body needs to do its functions. Most tissues and cells in the body contain vitamin D receptors, and UV rays that are released from the sun are the main cause of vitamin D production. The body produces these when the skin is touched. Vitamin D is stored inside fat cells, so it is used when needed.
The Importance of Vitamin D
- Plays a vital role in bone formation.
- Maintain the balance of minerals in the body.
- Contributes to balance the level of phosphorus and calcium in the body.
- It facilitates the absorption of minerals in the intestines.
- Regulates cell growth.
- Increases the activity of the immune system and helps suppress the growth of cancer cells.
What Causes Vitamin D Deficiency?
- Dark skin color, because it contains a large amount of melanin, which has the ability to absorb the sun, but limits the production of vitamin D3, a type of vitamin D.
- Insufficient exposure to sunlight.
- Aging As the age increases, the basic vitamin D substance in the body is reduced.
- Infection of the person with bowel disease, which leads to reduced absorption of vitamin D in the small intestine.
- Weight gain, which leads to the accumulation of vitamin D in fat, and malnutrition also leads to vitamin D deficiency.
- Infants are exposed to vitamin D deficiency because of their low levels of breast milk.
- Kidney and liver disease.
- Some medications lead to vitamin D deficiency such as: epileptic drugs, antifungal drugs.
- Infection of certain genetic diseases in children due to increased phosphate secretion in the kidney.
- Women’s Access to Menopause.
Damage caused by vitamin D deficiency
- Delay bone growth in the body.
- Pain is severe and persistent in many organs of the body.
- The occurrence of rickets in children, and the retardation of normal growth, such as late emergence of teeth, sitting and walking, and wasting.
- Hair loss.
- High blood pressure, which causes heart attacks.
- Spasm of the body’s various muscles.
- Feeling headache, poor concentration.
- Bladder problems occur.
Treatment of vitamin D deficiency
- Adequate exposure to sunlight.
- Eat foods rich in vitamin D such as: animal-derived foods, as well as plant foods, and some special types of food such as liver, fish oil and yolk; vitamin D is abundant in these foods.
- Taking medications containing vitamin D
- Intravenous vitamin D injection.
Amount of vitamin D required daily
- Newborns up to one year of age need 400 IUs.
- Children above the age of the year as well as adults require 600 IU.
- Older people aged 71 and over need 800 IU with exposure to sunlight, but in the absence of exposure to sunlight they need 1000 IU.