Benefits of Vitamin D Not Only for Bones

Vitamin D is needed by children to adults to maintain bone health. Besides being useful for bones, there are still many benefits of vitamin D that can be felt by the body. Starting from regulating calcium levels, to prevent a number of serious diseases. Although commonly referred to as vitamins, actually vitamin D is not merely a vitamin, but is considered a pro-hormone. Vitamins are nutrients that must be obtained through food or supplements, because they cannot be made by the body. However, vitamin D can be produced by the human body from sunlight which is absorbed by the skin.

Various Benefits of Vitamin D

According to research, the benefits of vitamin D not only maintain bone strength, but also reduce the risk of a number of diseases, including:

• Cancer

Vitamin D is believed to help prevent colon cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer. An active vitamin D hormone called calcitriol can reduce the development of cancer cells by increasing cancer cell death, slowing the development of new blood vessels in cancerous tissue, and reducing the growth, addition, and spread of cancer cells.

• Diabetes

The higher levels of vitamin D in the body, the lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. Inadequate levels of vitamin D adversely affect insulin production and glucose tolerance. According to research, adequate vitamin D during childhood will make children avoid type 1 diabetes.

• Pregnancy

Pregnant women who lack vitamin D are more at risk of developing preeclampsia, giving birth by caesarean section, gestational diabetes, and bacterial vaginosis. However, vitamin D levels that are too high during pregnancy are also not good because it will increase the risk of food allergies in children.

• Multiple sclerosis

According to research, a person with low vitamin D levels is at risk of developing multiple sclerosis and some autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, thyroid disease, Crohn's disease, psoriasis and inflammation of the intestine. Because, vitamin D also affects the immune system.

• Depression

Vitamin D is believed to play a role in the development and function of the brain. If the level of vitamin D in a person is high, the risk of depression will be reduced. Conversely, if the level of vitamin D in him is low, the risk of depression and nervous and brain disorders will increase.

Getting Vitamin D Naturally

To avoid contracting the various diseases mentioned above, you can get vitamin D from the following sources:

• Sunlight

When sunlight enters the skin, the body will make vitamin D itself. Even so, do not too long bask in the sun and do not forget to use sunscreen so that the skin does not burn.

• Food

Besides being formed by the body with the help of sunlight, vitamin D can also be obtained from several types of food, such as oily fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel), eggs, milk, mushrooms, beef liver, cod liver oil, tuna, and yogurt.

Eat foods with balanced nutrition and bask in the sun in the morning, so that your body can get the maximum benefits of vitamin D. No less important, try to always exercise, so that your health condition is always maintained.