The Importance of Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a nutrient your body needs for building and maintaining healthy bones. That’s because your body can only absorb calcium when vitamin D is present. Calcium is the primary component of your bones. Vitamin D also regulates many other cellular functions in your body. Its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties support muscle function, brain cell activity, and healthy immunity.
Vitamin D isn’t naturally found in many foods, but you can get it from fortified milk, fortified cereal, and fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines. Also, your body creates vitamin D from sunlight on your skin.
The amount of vitamin D your skin makes depends on many factors, including the time of day, season, latitude and your skin pigmentation. Depending on where you live and your lifestyle, vitamin D production might decrease or be completely absent during the winter months. Sunscreen, while important to prevent skin cancer, also can decrease vitamin D production.
Speak to your physician today to make sure that you are getting enough vitamin D. A simple blood test can check the levels of this vitamin in your blood.