Does Vitamin D Help Cleanse Your Body?

Approximately 70 percent of U.S. children and adolescents do not get enough vitamin D, according to research published in the August 2009 issue of "Pediatrics." Vitamin D is important for several metabolic processes that help you stay healthy. Although the major purpose of the vitamin is not to cleanse your body, it helps remove dangerous molecules from your cells and can prevent certain diseases.

Vitamin D Features

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning it dissolves in fat and is stored in fatty tissue. Your diet and lifestyle affect the amount of vitamin D you get. Eating certain foods boosts your intake of the vitamin, and your body produces additional vitamin D when exposed to ultraviolet light from the sun. Most people can get all the vitamin D they need by spending a short time in the sun several times a week, notes the Linus Pauling Institute.

Functions

Vitamin D is best known as an important molecule to maintain strong bones. Vitamin D regulates calcium levels in your body, stimulating your intestines to absorb more calcium in levels are low. Calcium causes bones to be hard and strong, and not getting enough vitamin D impairs bone health. Vitamin D also helps your cells differentiate into specialized cells for specific tissues, facilitates insulin secretion, assists your immune system and regulates blood pressure.

Cleansing

Some people believe the body needs to be cleansed of dangerous toxins to stay healthy. Although most medical professionals do not use the term cleansing to describe vitamin D activity, it does help to clear toxins from your body. Radiation exposure and certain physiological processes produce free radicals, unstable atoms with unpaired electrons. These free radicals may promote disease and cause cell damage. In a 1997 study published in "Biochemistry," researcher Igor Kuzmenko of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine found vitamin D has anti-radical properties, meaning it helps clear free radicals from your cells.

Disease Prevention

In addition to eliminating free radicals from your body, getting enough vitamin D prevents several medical conditions. Vitamin D may prevent osteoporosis, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and high blood pressure. Failing to get enough vitamin D also causes bone deformation, soft bones and muscle weakness.

Considerations

Children and adults under age 70 need 15 micrograms of vitamin D each day. Adult men and women over 70 need 20 micrograms per day. Your vitamin D intake may come from dietary sources or sunlight exposure. Common dietary sources of vitamin D include salmon, sardines, mackerel, fortified milk and fortified breakfast cereals. Discuss your vitamin D levels with a doctor to determine whether you need to take a supplement.