Vitamin D
Talking about foods that contain vitamin D can be challenging, because their list of food sources is very short , And in general the food sources are not sufficient to get the daily needs of vitamin D, and must be sufficient exposure to the sun to get the human needs of the necessary .
This requires a special effort for people who rely on foods alone (without sun exposure) to reach the daily needs of vitamin D, which is very important, as vitamin D deficiency causes rickets in children, and osteoporosis in adults , As well as many other health effects, as it was found to be related to depression , And obesity , Asthma, and susceptibility to infection .
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that the body makes when it is exposed to sunlight from a cholesterol-producing raw material. The person needs to be exposed to sunlight for 10-15 minutes two to three times a week to get his needs from him. Dark skin for longer exposure to the sun.
Vitamin D works in the body as a steroid hormone called dihydroxyl coli, such as cephalicol (calcitriol) in many important functions. Perhaps the most prominent of these functions is its role in the balance of calcium in the body, , And we will discuss in this article about the most important sources of food rich in this vitamin.
Foods rich in vitamin D.
In general, adults living in sunny areas should not make any special effort to obtain their vitamin D needs , Vitamin D is found naturally in animal food sources, and is considered the richest source of fish liver oils , And fatty fish contain good amounts of it , Which is found in simple and variable amounts in butter, cream, egg yolk, and liver .
Human milk and fortified bovine milk are weak sources of vitamin D, giving about 0.4 micrograms to 1 mcg per liter, but beef is often fortified with milk, and most types of powdered milk, concentrate, butter, soy milk and all infant formula In addition, some types of cereals are fortified with vitamin D , Such as ready-made breakfast cereals.
The sources are supported by the largest sources of food, and the fruit juices supported, which also support calcium is usually, the most important sources of food for people with lactose intolerance , Vitamin D is stable and does not spoil when food is exposed to heat or when food is stored for long periods of time .
For people who are not exposed to the sun adequately, and for food sources, or those who live in areas where the sun is not enough, they should be careful to take vitamin D from its sources of food supported, where they should take two cups of fortified milk , Which is the main source of diet, daily , And we will show in the following table the content of some of the most important sources of food.
Content of dietary sources of vitamin D.
| Food Source | Quantity | Vitamin D content (microgram) |
|---|---|---|
| Prepared breakfast cereals | 3/4 cup | 1.0 |
| Orange juice fortified with vitamin D. | 1 cup | 2.5 |
| tuna fish | 85 g | 5.0 |
| yolk | 1 | 0.5 |
| Milk fortified with vitamin D. | 1 cup | 2.5 |
| Soy milk | 1 cup | 2.5 |
Daily needs of vitamin D.
Although the body synthesizes vitamin D naturally, the needs shown in the following table were based on the assumption that no vitamin D intake was obtained by exposure to the sun , And the following table details the daily vitamin D requirements by age group:
| Age group | Daily needs (microgram / day) | Upper limit (microgram / day) |
|---|---|---|
| Infants 0-6 months | 10 | 25 |
| Infants 6-12 months | 10 | 38 |
| Children 1-3 years | 15 | 63 |
| Children 4-8 years | 15 | 75 |
| 5-50 years | 15 | 100 |
| 51-70 years | 20 | 100 |
| 71 years and over | 15 | 100 |
| Pregnant and nursing | 15 | 100 |
The importance of vitamin D in the body
Vitamin D acts as a hormone in the body in many functions, including:
- Balance calcium and phosphorus and maintain their blood levels .
- Maintain bone health .
- Natural growth and reproduction in many tissue cells, such as skin tissue, muscle, thyroid gland and immune system Brain, nervous system, cartilage, pancreas and genitals Breast and colon, which also prevents abnormal growth in these cells and thus reduces the risk of cancer .
- Reduce the risk of many autoimmune diseases, including rheumatic diseases Diabetes mellitus, type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and inflammatory bowel disease, because of the role it has played in regulating the immune system .
- Vitamin D plays an important role in the metabolism of muscles affecting their constriction and expansion, and causes lack of weakness of the heart muscle .
- Some studies have found that the level of the hormone calcitriol in the blood is inversely proportional to insulin resistance, and was found to play a role in the prevention of type 2 diabetes .