The Role of Vitamin D in Bone Health: What You Need to Know

Introduction

The “sunshine vitamin” vitamin D is essential for bone health. It helps keep your bones strong and healthy so that you can live an active and healthy life. 

From childhood to old age, consuming vitamin D for bones in the form of supplements may be needed if you are not getting enough of it naturally. 

In this blog take note of the benefits of vitamin D and the role it plays in bone health. 

The Role of Vitamin D 

Vitamin D is a critical vitamin that is required for the important role it plays in calcium, magnesium, and phosphate absorption by the body. It is needed primarily by the skeletal system.

There are a few types of vitamin D, but the most significant ones are Vitamin D3(cholecalciferol) and D2(ergocalciferol), of which Vitamin D3 is the most essential one for bone health. 

Vitamin D is synthesised in the body naturally after exposure of the skin to UVB light rays. 

Your body produces the most Vitamin D after around 10-15 minutes of exposure to sunlight. 

Vitamin D can also be found in certain foods like meat, fatty fish, milk, eggs, etc. It is also found in mushrooms that have been exposed to UV rays. 

As we shall now explore, Vitamin D plays an important role in bone health as it impacts calcium absorption into the bloodstream.

How Vitamin D Supports Bone Health

Calcium Absorption

Vitamin D plays a major role in the absorption of calcium from the intestines into the bloodstream. It helps to maintain the calcium levels in the body, preventing it from being excreted by the kidneys quickly. Vitamin D also helps to maintain the phosphate (another element needed for bone health) levels in the body. From this, we can surmise that consuming vitamin D for bones is essential for the formation and maintenance of bones. 

Bone Mineralization

Vitamin D ensures that there is enough phosphate and calcium present in the bloodstream for bone formation and maintenance. 

This is crucial during childhood and adolescence for proper bone development. It is also required when a person is healing from fractures. 

Prevention of Bone Diseases 

Vitamin D plays an important role in preventing bone disease. Osteoporosis, rickets, and osteomalacia can be prevented by consuming vitamin D. 

Osteoporosis is a very common condition in people above the age of 50, especially women. It is a condition where bone density decreases causing the bones to fracture easily. 

Rickets affects 1 in 20,000 children and is a rare condition in which bones become soft and break easily. 

Osteomalacia is another condition where bones become soft because of a lack of calcium absorption. 

These can be easily prevented or treated by the consumption of supplements. 

Vitamin D deficiency is the state of having inadequate amounts of vitamin D in your body, which may cause health problems like brittle bones and muscle weakness. ~ Yale Medicine

Signs Of Vitamin D Deficiency

There are no clear-cut signs of vitamin D deficiency. The symptoms that do occur may be a sign of any number of diseases. However, a few of the symptoms are: 

• Muscle or bone pain
• Pins-and-needles sensation in the hands and feet. 
• Muscle twitches or tremors
• Muscle spasms
• Muscle weakness particularly near the trunk of the body

Determining a vitamin D deficiency requires a blood test. This is not a routine test but can be suggested by the physician in case the patient has bone or muscle pain. 

The recommended consumption of vitamin D is 600 IU for people ages 1 to 70 years.

The importance of vitamin D for bones cannot be stressed enough. 

Eating more vitamin D-rich foods isn’t usually sufficient to correct vitamin D deficiency, so your doctor is likely to recommend treatment with supplements. - Yale Medicine

How To Ensure That You Are Getting Sufficient Vitamin D

The primary way of getting enough vitamin D is by ensuring you spend a sufficient amount of time outdoors. It is recommended that you spend 5 to 30 minutes in the sunshine a day to get your quota of vitamin D. You can also include Vitamin D in your diet by consuming fatty fish, meat, eggs, etc. 

It may not be easy in some countries to get enough sunshine, so you may require vitamin D supplements to prevent a deficiency. You can choose good quality vitamin D supplements from Nutrabytes. 

How To Maintain Bone Health

Having a balanced diet or a diet rich in vitamin D and calcium is essential for good bone health. You can consume fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, and tuna. Other options include cod liver oil, egg yolk, beef liver, and cheese. You can also consume foods that have been fortified with vitamin D like milk, yoghurts, juices, and cereals. Vegan options include mushrooms. 

One must spend time outdoors in the sunshine to boost the production of vitamin D in the body naturally. 

Consume vitamin D for bone health in the form of supplements. You can consult with your doctor before taking these vitamins regularly. 

You can also include regular exercises to keep your bones in good shape. Maintain a healthy lifestyle and include a sufficient amount of outdoor activities.

Wrapping Up 

Vitamin D for bones is important for both the young and the old. To enjoy a high quality of life with health and wellness, ensure that you get a sufficient amount of vitamin D. 

The benefits of vitamin D are seen majorly in bone health. In case you are suffering from a Vitamin D deficiency, you can begin consuming supplements under the guidance of your doctor.

References: 

https://www.uptodate.com/contents/calcium-and-vitamin-d-for-bone-health-beyond-the-basics

https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/vitamin-d-deficiency

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/

https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/staying-healthy/vitamin-d-for-good-bone-health/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3688475/