Vitamin D is vital component to nurture our body in order to have good health. This nutrient plays an important role and helps us in multiple different ways. For example, Vitamin D is key to have strong and healthy bones and at the same time, it also aids in the movement of muscle. Not only that, Vitamin D is a must when we talk about our immune system since its highly needed in the process of fighting against bacteria and viruses.
If there’s a lack of the proper amount of vitamin D, a negative impact in your health can happen. In kids, the lack of Vitamin D causes a disease named Rickets, where the bones go soft and become fragile, causing them to deform and be weaker. In adults, Vitamin D deficiency creates a muscle/bone disorder called osteomalacia which causes great pain through the debility of the body. To avoid this issues, it’s important to know the amount of Vitamin D the human needs and where to find it.
How much Vitamin D does the human body needs to be healthy?
The amount of Vitamin D the human body needs per day completely depends on the age. For example, people that are between the ages of 1 and 70 need 15 micrograms (mcg) to be healthy, meanwhile a baby that’s younger than 12 months needs only 10 mcg. An elderly person, above 71 would require a higher amount, around 20 mcg.
Vitamin D and its main source: the sun.
The sun is the main source of Vitamin D for humans. Basically, the body produces this nutrient when skin is directly under the exposure of the sun. That’s the way most people get Vitamin D. It’s important to point out, there are multiple factors that diminish the amount of vitamin D the skin makes, such as: clouds, contamination, age and pigment of the skin.
Even though getting vitamin D is important, please remember to use sunscreen when under the sunlight. This also decreases the production of vitamin D, but still is highly recommended to put it on to avoid skin cancer.
Is it possible to gain Vitamin D through diet?
It’s difficult to find food that comes with Vitamin D because there are very few that have it naturally. An important food group that needs to be mentioned is Fatty fish like salmon and tuna. This is one of the best sources of natural food that contains this nutrient due to the higher levels of Vitamin D it has. Other notable options are egg yolk and mushrooms but both have very little amounts.
The easiest way to consume this nutrient is by finding foods and beverages that have been added with vitamin D. For example, milk normally has Vitamin D added to it and it had around 3 mcg per cup. It is important to check the nutritional information in everything you ingest to know if you are actually consuming the amounts of Vitamin D you think you are.
If you need it, you can also get vitamin D by the use of supplements and multivitamins to get your daily intake. But be careful to not go over the recommended amount, it’s really common to make that mistake.
Conclusion.
Vitamin D is vital for the health of our body that’s why we need to know it’s importance, the proper amount that we require to function and where can we find it. So, if you are between the ages of 1 and 70 remember that 15 mcg of vitamin D is what your body needs to avoid developing diseases such as osteomalacia. Make sure to go out and get you vitamin D through the sun or get it with a good diet and supplements.
