Although it is known as a micronutrient, Vitamin D is one of the essential components you need for your body. Here is The importance of VitaminD and its health benefits:

4. Vitamin D

Before getting into the importance and health benefits, let’s find out what Vitamin D is. It is a fat-soluble steroid hormone that is produced in the body through the sunlight, the food we eat, and, in some cases, through supplements.

After entering into the bloodstream, it enters the liver, where it is converted into 25-hydroxycholecalciferol. But it is still not the final product. After that, it goes to the kidneys where it is converted to the final product, 125-dihydroxy vitamin D, and this final compound is what our body needs for various things.

3. Absorbs Calcium

One of the most noteworthy functions of Vitamin D is absorbing calcium. No matter how much milk you drink in a day, if you lack Vitamin D in your body, the calcium from the milk is of no use.

Vitamin D is responsible for absorbing calcium from the gut, from the daily meals we take in, and into the bloodstream. We all know the importance of Calcium in our body. It is not just needed to make our bones stronger, but also to clot blood. The list does not stop here.

The fact is, Calcium cannot work on its own. It plays its role in the body only when it gets assimilated in Vitamin D. Therefore, if your body has low Vitamin D levels, it will lead to the failure to control calcium homeostasis, which ultimately leads to diseases like osteoporosis and rickets.

2. Steroids

Bone development is not the only thing we need Vitamin D for. It is, in fact, a steroid hormone too. Moreover, it is also related to our immune system.

Here is how it is linked to the immune system. Vitamin D in our body is linked to uncountable genes and several of these control our expressions and suppressions. It is an epigenetic controller of the body that regulates the functions of our genes. Therefore, if a person is deficient in Vitamin D, he is susceptible to numerous autoimmune diseases, which include sclerosis, arthritis, and even type 1 diabetes.

Researchers have also evaluated that the deficiency also has a profound effect on the nervous system of the body and it can result in issues like MS or dementia.

1. Immunomodulator

Vitamin D is an Immunomodulator. That means, it indirectly controls the activities of the immune system, in places where the activities need to be increased or decreased. In these conditions, the immune system becomes overactive.

To protect the body from infection or cancer, the body needs the immune system to increase its activities to fight against the rogue cells, and that is where the Vitamin D comes to the rescue.

According to the American Journal of Public Health, Vitamin D plays a vital role in reducing the risk of cancer. It can help fight against the most deadly form of cancer such as breast cancer or colorectal cancer at a low cost, without any side effects.