What is Vitamin D Exactly - Is Vitamin D A Vitamin
What is Vitamin D ?
What is Vitamin D Exactly? Is Vitamin D A Vitamin?
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| What is Vitamin D |
Perhaps you are aware about the fact that Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and that there are several forms of Vitamin D.
Most likely you also know that your skin makes it in response to sunlight exposure.
And this is an important aspect of Vitamin D, because it shows the different nature of Vitamin D compared to other vitamins.
Let’s take a quick look at the difference between Vitamin D and other vitamins.
WHAT SETS VITAMIN D APART FROM ACTUAL VITAMINS?
First of all, vitamins are substances necessary for your health.
You get them from food or dietary supplements.
The human body generally can not produce vitamins itself.
Summarized, here are the three common basic features of vitamins:
- They are necessary for health.
- They are found in food.
- The human body can’t produce them itself.
Let's look now at how Vitamin D meets this description.
Importance for health: Medical studies have shown clearly enough that Vitamin D is necessary for health.
Presence in food: Vitamin D is found in food, although in quite small quantities.
Ability of human body to produce it by itself: Human body can produce vitamin D when being exposed to sunlight.
BASIC FEATURES OF VITAMIN D -
VITAMINS, GENERALLY VITAMIN D IMPORTANCE FOR HEALTH, necessary for health.
PRESENCE IN FOOD are found in foodis found in food, in small quantities.
ABILITY OF A BODY TO PRODUCE IT BY ITSELF body can’t produce body can produce.
What conclusions can we draw from this comparison?
In short, Vitamin D has the first two common features of vitamins. But the third one is different.
It turns out that your body is capable to produce Vitamin D itself! That makes Vitamin D unlike other vitamins. And that’s a big difference, also suggesting that Vitamin D is not really a vitamin.
If so, what is it? What is Vitamin D if it isn’t a vitamin, and where does it come from?
Actually, it’s a steroid hormone produced by your body. In other words, there is hormonal activity related to Vitamin D in your body.
WHY IS THE SUBSTANCE CALLED VITAMIN D, ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT ACTUALLY A VITAMIN?
Good question! It is known that Vitamin D received its name in 1920.
At this time cod liver oil was used to avoid rickets.
It was thought that the rickets-treating substance was actually contained in cod liver oil.
It was yet uncovered that the body itself can produce this substance. Therefore it was identified as a vitamin.
By now scientists know exactly how Vitamin D proceeds in the body.
Of course, it is wrong to call Vitamin D a vitamin. However, the name Vitamin D got rooted during decades of widespread use. That's why its official name has not been changed.
More than just a vitamin: Vitamin D is more than a vitamin anyway because it exceeds the limits of the traditional definition of a vitamin.
Most vitamins can NOT be synthesized by the body. They are found naturally in certain foods.
This substance is really more like a hormone – a chemical substance produced in an endocrine gland and then transported in the blood to a certain tissue, on which it exerts a specific effect.
Scientists still have much to learn about What is Vitamin D and what does Vitamin D do for our body. It is very likely that some health Benefits Of Vitamin D are still waiting to be discovered.
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