Notes

A fat-soluble vitamin known as vitamin D (also known as "calciferol") can be found as a dietary supplement and is added to some meals. Additionally, it is created internally when ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunshine strike the skin and start the production of vitamin D. The best natural source of vitamin D is sunlight, which also serves as the primary contributor to skin cancer. The risk of skin cancer brought on by excessive sun exposure and maintaining healthy vitamin D levels must be balanced. Seasonal changes naturally affect vitamin D levels. Your skin type, current vitamin D levels, the time of year, and UV levels all affect how much UV exposure you require.

Vitamin D is a hormone that controls calcium levels in the blood. It is needed for strong bones, muscles and overall health, Your body will manufacture more vitamin D if you exercise outside. Only a certain amount of vitamin D may be absorbed by the body at one time. Extra sun exposure won't boost vitamin D levels; but, it will raise your risk of skin cancer. People with naturally very dark skin and those who get very little sun exposure are among those who are more likely to have low vitamin D levels.

Both a nutrition and a hormone, vitamin D is produced by our bodies. It is a fat-soluble vitamin that has long been recognized for assisting the body's absorption and retention of calcium and phosphorus, both of which are essential for bone development. Additionally, studies in the lab demonstrate that vitamin D can help regulate infections, reduce inflammation, and slow the growth of cancer cells. Along with its ability to regulate cell proliferation, immunological response, neuromuscular function, and glucose metabolism, vitamin D also plays other physiological functions in the body. Vitamin D has other roles in the body, including reduction of inflammation as well as modulation of such processes as cell growth, neuromuscular and immune function, and glucose metabolism

It takes the body two hydroxylations to activate vitamin D that is consumed from food, supplements, and sun exposure. The first hydroxylation, which takes place in the liver, transforms vitamin D into 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], also known as "calcidiol," while the second hydroxylation, which largely takes place in the kidney and produces the physiologically active 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D], also known as "calcitriol," also takes place there.