How can a vitamin D deficiency cause health problems?
2 min readVitamins are micronutrients, that is, substances that we need in controlled quantities in our body. In case Vitamin DIt accumulates in our adipose tissues and, therefore, the ideal is that it is neither in excess nor in deficiency in the human body. Learn more about this nutrient and what health problems may be due to a vitamin D deficiency
Vitamin D deficiency and health problems
to me Nutrition JournalApproximately 88% of the world’s population does not have vitamin D levels equal to those recommended by health institutions. The level, which should be between 20 and 60 ng/ml, depending on age and gender, when it is below the recommended level, it can cause or exacerbate serious illnesses. know more:
What is Vitamin D? Why this?
Vitamin D is a hormone that plays a role in various metabolic processes in the human body. It participates in the metabolism of collagen, the secretion of insulin by the pancreas, and prolactin by the pituitary gland, and acts in the control of arterial hypertension, for example.
Our body contains precursor molecules of vitamin D, and an easy way to boost the body to produce it is to expose yourself to sunlight. Because the skin, through the sun, converts vitamin D3 into vitamin D3, and finally into vitamin D3.
If you do not have much contact with solar radiation, it is possible, by prescription, to buy food supplements or eat fish, seafood, eggs, milk, liver, cheese and mushrooms.
What are the effects of vitamin D deficiency?
Vitamin D levels below the recommended level can disrupt many metabolic pathways in the body. To make an analogy, it is as if a train (a particular molecule or compound) was traveling on rails, stopping at stations (i.e. performing chemical reactions) and finding a broken section of the rail (which corresponds to a lack of vitamin D). In this way, he will not be able to move forward, and all the work – and the expenditure of energy – will be in vain.
Now imagine that many chain reactions are going on all the time in our bodies. Many of them need vitamin D. Among them stand out:
- The emergence of inflammatory bowel diseases.
- stimulation of autoimmune disease processes;
- Strengthening cardiovascular risk.
- Deterioration of neurodegenerative frames.
- Preference for viral and bacterial infections.
scenario in Brazil
Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), in partnership with the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), a study on vitamin D levels among the population of Brazil. It has been found that about 875,000 people over the age of 50 suffer from vitamin D deficiency. This part of the population is particularly worrisome, given that they are more likely to develop obesity, liver failure, inflammatory bowel disease, osteoporosis, and more.
This article does not provide solutions for medical or psychological problems. Consult a specialist before starting any treatment.
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