Benefits of Vitamin D which is Important for Body Health • Hello Sehat
In this modern era, most activities are carried out indoors, so many people are rarely exposed to sunlight which is a source of vitamin D. This is of course very unfortunate given the enormous benefits of vitamin D for our bodies. So, what are the benefits that can be obtained by consuming it?
Various benefits of vitamin D.
Vitamin D is best known for its properties that are good for bone health. In addition, this vitamin also plays a role in preventing the body from chronic disease. Come on, see the explanation through the following review!
1. Helps maintain healthy bones and muscles
Our bodies need vitamin D for calcium absorption. Calcium is the main nutrient building blocks of bones, which makes bones strong and reduces the risk of fractures.
Without sufficient vitamin D, a person cannot form sufficient calcitriol to absorb calcium from food.
In this situation, the body will take calcium from the bones and result in the bones becoming weak and resulting in bone diseases such as osteoporosis and rickets.
In order not to happen, meet the need for vitamin D intake. Together with calcium, this vitamin will reduce your risk of fractures.
2. Helps maintain the health of mother and fetus
Vitamin D deficiency often occurs in young women, including women who are pregnant and the elderly.
During pregnancy, a woman is at risk of losing calcium due to the need for the fetus in the womb, and because of the increased excretion of calcium through the urine. This continues to increase with increasing gestational age.
If pregnant women are deficient in vitamin D, it will certainly have an impact on the bone health of the fetus in the womb. The risk of rickets also increases.
Pregnant women should have enough vitamin D at delivery to ensure their babies have adequate levels of vitamin D for the first 4-6 months of life, because vitamin D status in infants is entirely dependent on the mother as a source of vitamin D in the developing fetus.
In addition, studies suggest a possible association between low vitamin D in pregnant women and an increased risk of pregnancy such as preeclampsia, preterm birth, gestational diabetes, and bacterial vaginosis infection.
3. Help prevent autoimmune diseases
Recently, there have been many studies linking vitamin D and its role in various diseases, not only for bones and muscles.
Autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis which are more common in women are known to be associated with low serum vitamin D levels. Apart from multiple sclerosis, vitamin D also acts as an immunosuppressant in rheumatoid arthritis.
Vitamin D is also useful so that the immune system in the human body functions normally to fight several kinds of diseases.
4. Help prevent other chronic diseases
Another benefit of vitamin D is that it reduces your risk of chronic disease.
One of them, meeting adequate intake of vitamin D can help keep you from the risk of cancer, because vitamin D has an anti-carcinogenic effect. A link between adequate vitamin D status and a lower risk of cancer has been found by many studies.
In addition, many studies have also reported an association between vitamin D deficiency and an increased risk of heart diseases such as hypertension, heart failure and ischemic heart disease.
5. Help prevent mood disorders
It turns out that vitamin D can also help prevent symptoms associated with mood disorders.
Indeed, the link between vitamin D and depression is not causal. However, the two of them can influence each other.
The benefits of vitamin D on this one have been widely researched. For one thing, a study published in 2008 showed that depressed people who received vitamin D supplements experienced improvement in their symptoms.
In another study, it was shown that vitamin D deficiency is common in people with anxiety and depression.
For this reason, patients who have mood disorders are often advised to do activities outside the home so they can get vitamin D intake from the sun.
How much vitamin D do you need each day?
The daily requirement for vitamin D varies from person to person, depending on gender and age. The following is the adequacy of vitamin D which is written in the Regulation of the Minister of Health of Indonesia in 2021.
- Infants 1 month – 11 months: 10 micrograms per day.
- Children 1 – 9 years: 15 micrograms per day.
- Boys 10 – 64 years: 15 micrograms per day.
- Men 65 years and over: 20 micrograms per day.
- Women 10 – 64 years: 15 micrograms per day.
- Women 65 years and over: 20 micrograms per day.
Where can we get vitamin D?
Vitamin D comes from three main sources, namely sunlight, food, and supplements.
As much as 80% of the source of vitamin D is obtained from sun exposure. On the skin, sunlight will produce vitamin D which is then metabolized in the body to get an active form of vitamin D.
Given the large role sunlight plays in the synthesis of vitamin D, of course outdoor activities to get enough sun exposure are very important.
Apart from sunlight, 20% of vitamin D we get through food. Food sources that are rich in vitamin D are salmon, tuna, sardines, eggs, milk and yogurt.
If you can’t get enough vitamin D from food and don’t get a lot of sunlight, vitamin D supplements can help. However, you can consult your doctor first before using supplements regularly.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
