Vegan Forum

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that is found in food and can also be made in your body after exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. Sunshine is a significant source of vitamin D because UV rays from sunlight trigger vitamin D synthesis in the skin.
The major biologic function of vitamin D is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. By promoting calcium absorption, vitamin D helps to form and maintain strong bones. Vitamin D also works in concert with a number of other vitamins, minerals, and hormones to promote bone mineralization. Without vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen. Vitamin D sufficiency prevents rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, two forms of skeletal diseases that weaken bones.

Research also suggests that vitamin D may help maintain a healthy immune system and help regulate cell growth and differentiation, the process that determines what a cell is to become.

Where do I find Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is produced in skin exposed to sunlight, specifically ultraviolet B radiation. Very few foods are naturally rich in vitamin D, and most vitamin D intake is in the form of fortified products including milk, soy milk and cereal grains.


What are the health risks of too much vitamin D?

Vitamin D toxicity can cause nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, constipation, weakness, and weight loss .It can also raise blood levels of calcium causing mental status changes such as confusion. High blood levels of calcium also can cause heart rhythm abnormalities. Calcinosis, the deposition of calcium and phosphate in the body's soft tissues such as the kidney, can also be caused by vitamin D toxicity.

Vitamin D malnutrition.

Vitamin D malnutrition may also be linked to an increased susceptibility to several chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, tuberculosis, cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, depression, schizophrenia, seasonal affective disorder and several autoimmune diseases.

How much vitamin D do we need?

Code: Select all

Ages      International Units         mcg/d
19-50       200 IU                     5
51-69       400 IU                    10
70 +        600 IU                    15


When can vitamin D deficiency occur?

A deficiency of vitamin D can occur when dietary intake of vitamin D is inadequate, when there is limited exposure to sunlight, when the kidney cannot convert vitamin D to its active form, or when someone cannot adequately absorb vitamin D from the gastrointestinal tract.

Vitamin D on healthlink.org
Vitamin D on ods.gov
Vitamin D on wikipedia.org

Vitamin D deficiency may be linked to cancer and at the same time over exposer to sunlight is also linked to cancer.

Does a solarium session help generate vitamin D in the body?

Vitamin D is usually not found in vegan products unless they are fortified but here are those few that have some vitamin D :
Vegan Products Rich in Vitamin D

Nice post!
Vitamin D is necessary for the health we can also get vitamin D from the Sunlight.

Thank you so much for this posts... all the while I thought Vitamin D is only sunshine vitamin.

actually vitamin D is in deed mostly a sun vitamin.
the food sources are neglectable in comparison to the amount synthesized through sun exposure.

Most yogurt has some Vit. D, approx. 10%. The info given about Calcium blocking Vit. D absorption is incorrect

A few things...

First, the RDA of vitamin D is very low. Therapeutic levels of vitamin d3 don't start until at least 2,000 iu (50 mg).

Consider this, if you lay out in the summer wearing a bathing suit, your body produces about 1,000 iu every 5 to 7 minutes.

Here in Seattle, where the sun hides behind the clouds 6 months out of the year (and for people who don't get outside), I recommend my clients supplement 5,000 iu per day. This should be your daily goal for d3 combining sun exposure and supplementation.

Good vitamin D also can be found in flax seeds.

Hey...Really informative thread.

Thanks buddy for sharing this one data with all of us at the forum about Vitamin D and have acknowledge the community of the forum about the good one and useful knowledge.... Keep sharing more one's with all of us at the forum...

http://www.jobr.com.au/

I noticed nobody mentioned about Vitamin D promoting calcium absorption in the gut and maintains adequate serum calcium and phosphate concentrations to enable normal mineralization of bone and to prevent hypocalcemic tetany. It is also needed for bone growth and bone remodeling by osteoblasts and osteoclasts . Without sufficient vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen. Vitamin D sufficiency prevents rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Together with calcium, vitamin D also helps protect older adults from osteoporosis.