Let's talk about vitamin D and why we need to be making sure that we're getting enough of it right now, especially while we practice social distancing and try to stay healthy. "Vitamin D is actually a hormone that plays a critical role in regulating the immune system," says Sonya Angelone, MS, RDN. It's also crucial when it comes to helping your body absorb calcium and phosphorous. We all need it for healthy teeth and bones and to help us fight off diseases.
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Although we all need vitamin D, our bodies cannot actually produce it. The only way we can get enough of this crucial nutrient is by being exposed to the sun or by ingesting it through our diets. If we lived in a perfect world and had a perfect lifestyle, we would have all of our vitamin D needs met simply by going outside and getting enough sunlight. But that's not how we're living. "There's a myth that we get vitamin D from simply basking in the sun, but what actually happens is that compounds (like prohormone) in your skin react with the sun's UVB rays to make vitamin D, which means our skin actually has to be exposed to reap the glowing benefits," says registered dietitian nutritionist Bonnie Taub-Dix.
The truth is that many of us are not getting enough vitamin D via the sun. According to a study posted by the Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics, "Vitamin D insufficiency affects almost 50% of the population worldwide." That's about 1 billion people throughout the world and across all ethnicities and age groups. Yikes! Clearly, we need to be doing a better job of ensuring that we all get enough vitamin D through sunlight and diet so that we can all stay healthy. So let's dive into the details, because knowledge is power, and a powerful immune system is what we are after.