Vitamin D is one of the most essential for bone health and immune system. Known as the ‘sunshine vitamin’, its deficiency in the body can cause serious health problems. The main reasons for this are:
Lack of exposure to sunlight: The biggest source of vitamin D is sunlight. Spending the entire day indoors or in AC rooms and wearing clothes that cover the entire body without exposure to the sun are the main causes of vitamin D deficiency.
Dietary deficiencies: People who eat only vegetarian food and those who do not include fatty fish such as milk, eggs, sardines and mackerel in their diet are likely to have vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D is found in very small amounts in natural foods.
Skin color: The melanin in the skin affects the ability to produce vitamin D from sunlight. People with dark skin need to spend more time in the sun to produce vitamin D than those with fair skin.
Kidney and liver health: The kidneys and liver convert the vitamin D we eat or get from the sun into the active form that the body can use. Impaired function of these organs can lead to vitamin D deficiency.
Absorption problems: Deficiency can occur when the body is unable to absorb vitamin D from the food we eat due to digestive disorders (for example, Celiac disease, Crohn’s disease).