Vitamin D (calciferol or activated ergosterol) is fat soluble. This vitamin is necessary for normal tooth and bone formation.
Growing evidence indicates that vitamin D is also involved in modulating body composition, energy homeostasis, insulin sensitivity and immune function.
Deficiencies in vitamin D result in rickets (deformities of bones, such as bow-legs and curvature of the spine) and teeth defects.
Vitamin D has been observed to be associated with broadening fields of health problems including cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus. New research says that vitamin D helps to prevent cancer.
The human body also able to synthesize this vitamin form components of the skin exposure to ultraviolet light or sunlight. Exposure to the sun without sun screen for 30 minutes can synthesize approximately 10,000 to 20,000 IU of vitamin D in the skin.
Vitamin D is routinely added to milk. The richest natural sources of vitamin D3 are fish liver oils, especially halibut-liver oil.
Fatty fish, such as herring, sardines, pilchards and tune, are rich natural food sources; smaller amounts of the vitamin are found in mammalian liver, eggs, and diary products.
The importance of vitamin D
