Importance of Vitamin D - An insight

Almost 80% of Individuals in India are Vitamin D deficient. The main reasons for the deficiency of Vitamin D are -

1. Inadequate exposure to Sunlight - Our body can produce sufficient amount of Vitamin D on skin exposure to UV rays in the sunlight. Vitamin D3(cholecalciferol) is produced by 7-dehydrocholestrol in skin on irradiation(Exposure to sunlight). Most Indians either rural or urban due to multiple reasons do not give sufficient skin exposure to sunlight and hence the deficiency.

2. Inability to consume Vitamin D rich sources of food products - A large population in India is socioeconomically backward and hence consume vegetarian foods which are Vitamin D deficient.

3. Rare fortification of Vitamin D in food products - Fortification of foods with Vitamin D is the only and most efficient way of tackling the problem of Vitamin D deficiency.

Primary functions of Vitamin D is Homeostasis of Calcium - Vitamin D regulates the concentration of calcium and Phosphate in the blood. There are 3 ways in which Vitamin D regulates calcium in the blood - a) By increasing the absorption of calcium in the intestines, b) By reducing the excretion of calcium, c) By mobilizing the bone minerals.


The ill effects of Vitamin D deficiency are -
1. Poor bone health - Insufficient levels of Vitamin D in the blood leads to poor absorption of bone minerals like calcium and phosphorus resulting in weak and brittle bones in both children and adults.
2. Poor Immunity - In multiple researches, inverse relationship has been established in cases of TB, Cardiovascular diseases, Diabetes, cancer etc.

Conclusion:- Vitamin D is extremely important for human body and India being under-exposed to Sunlight and vitamin D rich foods, SUPPLEMENTATION of Vitamin D is the only option left.

Advice : One should get Vitamin D serum levels checked at regular intervals and supplement with doctor's advice. RDA for Vitamin D is 600 IU per day.