Daily Babbler

Vitamin D is important for good health. It maintains normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in the body and promotes absorption of calcium, thus helping in bone growth and remodeling. Adequate Vitamin D intake helps prevent bone disorders such as rickets in kids and osteomalacia in adults, and also helps in reducing risk of osteoporosis and cancer.

200 IUs (international units) of vitamin D daily are enough for most individuals under 50, but older persons will need higher amounts of it. Vitamin D is naturally produced through exposure to ultraviolet rays in sunlight, though at a slower rate in individuals with darker skin. Vitamin D may also be obtained via diet supplements, natural food items that contain vitamin D such as fish liver oil, egg yolk, beef liver, cheese and fatty fish (Such as salmon and tuna) or foods such as breakfast cereals and milk fortified with vitamin D.

Vitamin D deficiency may be caused by little or no exposure to sunlight, lactose intolerance, milk allergy or a strictly vegetarian diet. Older individuals (Above 50 years of age) have a higher risk of being vitamin D deficient because of the decreased ability of their skin and kidneys to synthesize the active form of the vitamin. Vitamin D deficiency can cause bone softening or weakening diseases such as osteomalacia and rickets.