All about Vitamin D
2022-09-22
UPDATE ON VITAMIN D
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that exists in 2 forms: D2 (Ergocalciferol) of vegetable origin, D3 (Cholecalciferol) of animal origin.
It has a dual origin: food and endogenous
- 30 to 40% of the daily needs come from food sources mainly: Cod liver oil, fatty Fish, and Egg yolk.
- The rest, i.e. 60 to 70%, comes from the synthesis in the skin under the action of UVB rays from the sun which transforms Cholesterol into vitamin D3.
- The amount synthesized is dependent on the time of day, the season, the latitude, the exposed surface, the pigmentation of the skin and the use or not of sunscreen.
- Exposure to the sun for 30 minutes a day is considered sufficient to meet daily vitamin D requirements.
Vitamin D has 2 functions in the body:
- Ensure the balance between Phosphorus and Calcium in our body by regulating their absorption at the Intestinal level and their reabsorption at the Renal level, under the control of a hormone: PTH (Parathormone)
- Skeletal bone mineralization.