Home | Computer | Product Support
The following article is offered in support of any prudent nutrition and health program. The D vitamin is the single vitamin that is not obtained from foods that are ingested. Instead, the D vitamin is in fact obtained by sunlight on the skin. There has been a great deal of media coverage about the risks of getting too much sun but it is significant that the skin is exposed to sunlight to obtain the advised daily allowance of the D vitamin. In fact, the amount of time that a person has to spend in the sun to receive a sufficient dose of the D vitamin is extremely small and just a few minutes a day will be adequate and not have any undesirable side effects from the amount of ultra-violet light picked up. The most significant function of the D vitamin is to help handle how much calcium is assimilated from food. The bulk of the calcium is used to build strong teeth and bones but it is at the same time needed to send messages along the nerves and to help muscles, such as the heart muscles, to contract. It is the D vitamin that ensures that there is always ample calcium in the blood to perform these tasks. Other functions that require the D vitamin relate to the defense system and it is thought that it is also a contributing component in decreasing the risk of getting cancer and, in particular, digestive tract cancer. The variant of the D vitamin that is formed under the skin is known as vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol. This D vitamin is created when the ultraviolet in the sunlight reacts with a type of cholesterol that is found under the skin naturally. The D3 is converted into a more active form of the d vitamin in the liver and is then diverted to where it is needed the most. Some of the D vitamin stays in the liver and kidneys to help reabsorb the calcium from the blood. The rest of the D vitamin is dispersed to the bones to help them retain their calcium and the intestines to aid absorption of calcium from food. Even though the majority of the D vitamin is formed through the exposure of the skin to sunlight there are some foods that do contain some of the vitamin naturally. This form of the D vitamin is known as vitamin D2, or ergocalciferol. This is used in the same way as the other D vitamins and is the kind employed to create the the greater part of D vitamin dietary supplements.
Article Source: http://www.gambling-articles.org
A web site devoted to health & fitness through home exercise equipment and nutritional supplements. Click here for more free info on nutrition and supplements.
Please Rate this Article
5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5
Not yet Rated
