TO "D" OR NOT TO "D"?

If you chose “D”, you are right and you would be joining millions of people around the world who are choosing “D” as the one necessary supplement they must include in their daily diet.

- DR MELVIN LOOK

Quick quiz. Pick one answer.

Vitamin D is important in:

A: Muscle strength and bone health

B: Fertility, hormonal balance, and sexual health

C: Immunity, cancer prevention, and longevity

D: All the above

This superstar status is a relatively recent phenomenon. For years, scientists have known Vitamin D to be an important hormone that controls calcium absorption from the intestines and mediates mineralisation of our bones. Deficiency in children can lead to tooth decay and the thin, deformed bones seen in rickets, whilst deficiency in adults can present with the brittle bones of osteoporosis.

Interestingly, we now know that Vitamin D receptors are also found in almost every tissue in our body, performing an important immunomodulatory role in different organs. Low Vitamin D levels are linked to multiple disease states, such as cardiovascular mortality, autoimmune diseases, and even cancers.

HOW DO I GET VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY?

Vitamin D is a hormone precursor that is present in two forms: Vitamin D2 (Ergocalciferol) and Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol).

Humans can make Vitamin D3 in our skin when we are exposed to direct sunlight. However, it is only the ultraviolet B (UVB) rays present in the midday sun that is effective. UVB does not penetrate clouds and darker