If you live in an area with abundant sunshine, you can probably get all the vitamin D you need by sunbathing a few times per week.If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission.Heres our process.
Vitamin D is completely different than most other vitamins. D&B Audiotechnik Price Skin Is ExposedIn fact, its a steroid hormone produced from cholesterol when your skin is exposed to the sun. For this reason, vitamin D is often referred to as the sunshine vitamin. However, sun exposure rarely provides adequate vitamin D, making it necessary to obtain it from supplements or your diet. Yet, only a handful of foods contain significant amounts of this crucial vitamin, and deficiency is very common ( 1, 2, 3 ). In fact, around 41.6 of the U.S. This article explains everything you need to know about vitamin D. What Is Vitamin D Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning that it dissolves in fats and oils and can be stored in your body for a long time. Two main dietary forms exist ( 5 ): Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). Of the two, D3 (cholecalciferol) seems to be almost twice as effective at increasing blood levels of vitamin D as D2 (ergocalciferol) ( 6, 7 ). SUMMARY Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that your body can store for long periods of time. Of the two main forms D2 and D3 the latter is more effective at raising vitamin D levels in your blood. What Does It Do in Your Body Vitamin D needs to undergo two conversion steps to become active ( 8, 9 ). First, it is converted to calcidiol, or 25(OH)D, in your liver. Second, it is converted to calcitriol, or 1,25(OH)2D, mostly in your kidneys. Calcitriol interacts with the vitamin D receptor (VDR), which is found in almost every single cell in your body ( 10, 11 ). When the active form of vitamin D binds to this receptor, it turns genes on or off, leading to changes in your cells. ![]() For example, it promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphorus from your gut ( 14 ). But scientists have recently discovered that it also plays roles in other areas of health, such as immune function and protection against cancer ( 15 ). SUMMARY Vitamin D is turned into calcidiol, the storage form of the vitamin, which is then converted into calcitriol, the active steroid form. Calcitriol binds to the vitamin D receptor inside your cells, turning genes on or off. Sunshine Is an Effective Way to Get Vitamin D Vitamin D can be produced from cholesterol in your skin when its exposed to ultraviolet B (UVB) rays from the sun ( 16 ).
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