Vitamin D - Sunshine Vitamin

Vitamin D is commonly known as ‘the sunshine vitamin’. It is the most essential vitamin for preventing rickets, which is a known deficiency disease affecting children, and is characterized by defective bone formation, disturbance of calcium utilization in the body, and resulting weakness.

Although about ten compounds with vitamin D activity have been identified, the two most important are vitamin D2 or ergocalciferol, and vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol.

Vitamin D3 was found to be identical to the natural vitamin D occurring in fish-liver oils. Vitamin D in foods and in food concentrates is not easily destroyed by heating. It is soluble in fat and fat-solvents and insoluble in water.

While bile is essential for the absorption of vitamin D, fat helps in its absorption too. This vitamin is absorbed from the jejunum of the small intestine and is transported, like vitamin A, in the lymph chylomicrons to the bloodstream. Reserves of the vitamin are found in the liver, skin, brain, and bones, where it is stored for future use. Excretion of vitamin D and its metabolites occurs primarily in the faeces with the aid of bile salts. Very little vitamin D appears in the urine.What are the Sources functions of Vitamin D?

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