Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that is essential for good health. Few foods contain vitamin D naturally, including fatty fish, egg yolks, beef liver, cheese and some mushrooms. Milk, breakfast cereals, yogurt, orange juice and margarine sometimes have vitamin D added to them. Vitamin D is important for reducing inflammation, cell growth, immune function, the absorption of calcium and bone growth.
Vitamin D and Bones
Vitamin D is essential not only for calcium absorption, it also helps with bone remodeling and growth. Your bones would not be strong and healthy without vitamin D. They would be brittle and thin and more likely to bend or break. A lack of vitamin D results in low bone density.
Vitamin D Requirements
The adequate intake level for vitamin D is 600 IU per day for adults, and the tolerable upper intake level is 4,000 IU per day. Don't take supplements in amounts higher than this without consulting a doctor, as it could result in toxicity symptoms. If you spend time in the sun without sunscreen, your body can make some of the vitamin D you need, but most people also need to consume foods containing vitamin D and possibly supplements to meet the recommended intake levels.
Vitamin D Deficiency
Vitamin D deficiency can result in rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. This is not the same as osteoporosis. Children with rickets have soft bones that bend easily, sometimes resulting in bowed legs. Adults with osteomalacia sometimes experience bone and muscle pain due to weakened bones, but not everyone with this condition exhibits obvious symptoms.
Considerations
If you suspect you have low blood levels of vitamin D, have them tested by your doctor. You can't rely solely on the sun to provide you with vitamin D, as people in much of the United States do not get sufficient UV energy from the sun for their body to synthesize vitamin D in the winter. Other factors, including age, smog, shade, clouds, glass, sunscreen, skin color and time of day can all limit vitamin D production.
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