Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin available via ultraviolet rays (mainly the sun), a few foods and supplements. Vitamin D’s main purpose is to regulate calcium and phosphate to keep your bones, teeth and muscles strong and healthy A vitamin D deficiency can lead to rickets in children and osteomalacia—the softening of the bones—in adults.
Vitamin D helps regulate calcium and phosphate in the body, which are key to bone and muscle health.
There’s a lot of buzz around the role vitamin D may play in strengthening your immune system and preventing certain diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer.
Some research suggests inadequate levels of vitamin D are linked with depression and that getting enough of it may improve overall mental health.
The sun is one of the most obvious and natural ways to get vitamin D—when your skin is exposed to sunlight, it makes vitamin D from cholesterol present in skin cells.
The sun is one of the most obvious and natural ways to get vitamin D—when your skin is exposed to sunlight, it makes vitamin D from cholesterol present in skin cells.