Let’s talk about nutrition …The importance of Vitamin D intake

Aug 21, 2022 News

Health Facts

By Rehanna Ramsay

Kaieteur News – Nutrition plays a key role in a person’s overall health and well-being. This week, I’ll shed some light on vitamins, which play a vital role in the overall nutritional balance of one‘s life since these have different jobs to help keep the body working properly.

Foods that are rich in Vitamin D can help boost your intake

There are 13 essential Vitamins — Vitamins A, C, D, E, K, and B Vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, B6, B12, and folate). Today, the focus is on Vitamin D. Vitamin D is essential for maintaining healthy bones and teeth. It also plays many other important roles in the body, including regulating inflammation and immune functions. The human body produces Vitamin D as a response to sun exposure. A person can also boost their Vitamin D intake through certain foods or supplements.

In this article we look at the benefits of Vitamin D, what happens to the body when people do not get enough, and how to boost Vitamin D intake. Vitamin D is classified as a fat-soluble vitamin, which means that the Vitamin D you make and consume from foods and dietary supplements, is stored in fat tissue for later use.

Without enough Vitamin D circulating in your bloodstream, it’s impossible to absorb all the calcium you need.

Vitamin D also influences cell growth and immune function, which keeps inflammation in check and keeps your nervous system working properly as is explained by Ms. Gillian Trim, a Nutritionist, attached to the Ministry of Health.

Ms. Trim told this publication that adequate Vitamin D is central to a strong skeleton. While she agrees that strong sunlight triggers Vitamin D production in your skin, Trim said the reality is that globally many people suffer from a deficiency, mostly due to the seasonal periods of sunlight in several parts of the world.

Trim noted, “Vitamin D deficiency is still a problem worldwide, but is rare in our region.” She explained that when there is a Vitamin D deficiency bones fail to calcify or harden as they ought.

“Bones become weak and bend when they have to support body weight. This can cause children to have bowed legs and knock-knee. This condition is called rickets. Adults are affected in the form of brittle bones and some may even become deaf as the tiny bones in the ear are also affected by the lack of Vitamin D. Women who have repeated pregnancies may become bent and stooped due to the depletion of calcium,” Trim said.

She noted in cases where people do not produce the required Vitamin D, the use of food and dietary supplements rich in this nutrient are encouraged

The nutritionist said that dietary sources such as cod liver oil, eggs, dairy products, cod fish, and fortified milk are all good sources of Vitamin D.

In the meantime, several trusted health sources, state that an adequate intake of Vitamin D may support good immune function and reduce the risk of autoimmune diseases.

Vitamin D, they believe there may be a link between long-term Vitamin D deficiency and the development of autoimmune conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis, but more research is necessary to confirm the link.

On the hand, though rare, there are scenarios where Vitamin D intake is too much. This usually occurs from accidental overconsumption and prescription errors.

In this case, health officials warn that too much Vitamin D can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, loss of weight, and kidney damage.