Vitamin supplements have been around from the early 1900’s and still continue to be around in the market up until this day. With abundance of health information made available to the public through the internet, people are more aware of taking care of their wellbeing and understand that some health conditions could be prevented or even helped with vitamin supplementation. There are many vitamins that are essential to the body and deficiency of it can lead to potential harmful disease. One of the vitamins include vitamin D, specifically vitamin D3.
Vitamin D is available in two forms: vitamin D2 and D3. Vitamin D2 is usually sourced from plants such as from mushrooms and yeast. Vitamin D3 on the other hand is typically sourced from animals such as in beef and oily fish like in salmon. Humans are also capable of producing its own vitamin D3 through chemical reactions occurring inside the body when a person’s skin is exposed to the sun. Hence, vitamin D3 is much likely to be used for supplementation of vitamin D as it is more compatible with vitamin D3 that is produced by the human body and helps to increase the level of vitamin D in the blood system much faster than vitamin D2.
Vitamin supplementation aims to help a person gain respective vitamins that are lacking from food in the daily meal. This lack of vitamin may come from the food itself containing less of the specific vitamins or the fact that a person is too busy to have enough meals to provide nutrients meeting the daily nutrients needed for the body. The recommended daily intake of vitamin D is 600 to 800 IU. When taken excessively more than 4000 IU, it could lead to body toxication that harms vital organs such as the heart and kidney. To take any vitamin supplementation, caution needs to be exercised for those already on other medications or have other chronic illnesses. It is better to seek medical advice first before consuming any health supplements.
Why do humans need vitamin D? Generally, vitamin D is needed in formation and strengthening of the bone. Lack of vitamin D can easily cause a person to develop osteomalacia, a disease that causes the bone to become weak and soft. Thus, who actually needs vitamin D, specifically vitamin D3?
1- Elderly people: Ageing process causes the body to become weaker as most growth of the body structure is slow and even at halt. This causes the bone to become fragile and a fragile bone makes these population vulnerable to bone fractures as a result of even the slightest fall. Vitamin D3 can help to create a stronger bone.
2- Post-menopausal woman: These women are much susceptible for osteoporosis. This is due to hormone change from the menopause state causing loss of bone mass. Hence, vitamin D3 can help to fill in the gap of the hollow bone.
3- People with chronic kidney disease: When a kidney is damaged, the ability to convert vitamin D to become an active form is hindered. This causes less vitamin D that can be used for the body. Vitamin D3 supplements helps the body to get the vitamin D required for the body as it is already in the active form and does not dependant to be produced by the damaged or injured kidney.
4- People on long-term steroids: Long-term steroids often associated with diseases such as severe asthma and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This course of medication increases risk for bone mass loss and vitamin D3 can help to minimise this side effect.
5- People with parathyroid disease: High level of parathyroid causes early osteoporosis and bone weakness as a result of over active calcium pulled out from the bone. Vitamin D3 can help lessen this process affecting the bone. Know about our hajj vaccination package
References:
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vitamin-d/
