Benefits of vitamin d for women's health & bull; hello healthy

Did you know that there are many benefits of vitamin D for women's health? Recent research has shown that in addition to bone health, vitamin D also plays a role in preventing autoimmune diseases, cancer, heart disease and infections. Unfortunately, in this modern era most activities are carried out indoors, so we are rarely exposed to sunlight which is a source of vitamin D. This is of course very unfortunate given the enormous benefits of vitamin D for our bodies.

Benefits of vitamin D for bones and muscles

Our bodies need vitamin D for calcium absorption. Calcium is the main nutrient building blocks of bones, which makes bones strong and reduces the risk of fractures. Without sufficient vitamin D, a person cannot form sufficient calcitriol to absorb calcium from food.

In this situation, the body will take calcium from the bones and result in the bones becoming weak and resulting in bone diseases such as osteoporosis and rickets. Research has shown the effects of vitamin D and calcium together on reducing the incidence of fractures.

The importance of vitamin D for pregnant women

Vitamin D deficiency often occurs in young women, including women who are pregnant and the elderly. During pregnancy, a woman is at risk of losing calcium due to the need for the fetus in the womb, and because of the increased excretion of calcium through the urine. This continues to increase with increasing gestational age.

If pregnant women are deficient in vitamin D, it will certainly have an impact on the bone health of the fetus in the womb. The risk of rickets also increases. Pregnant women should have enough vitamin D at delivery to ensure their babies have adequate levels of vitamin D for the first 4-6 months of life, because vitamin D status in infants is entirely dependent on the mother as a source of vitamin D in the developing fetus.

In addition, studies suggest a possible association between low vitamin D in pregnant women and an increased risk of pregnancy such as preeclampsia, preterm birth, gestational diabetes, and bacterial vaginosis infection.

Various diseases can be prevented by vitamin D.

Vitamin D contributes greatly to women's health, but the effects of vitamin D deficiency are not well known. Recently, there have been many studies linking vitamin D and its role in various diseases, not only for bones and muscles.

Autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, which are more common in women, are known to be associated with low serum vitamin D levels. Apart from multiple sclerosis, vitamin D also acts as an immunosuppressant in rheumatoid arthritis.

Vitamin D is also useful so that the immune system in the human body functions normally to fight several kinds of diseases. Another benefit of vitamin D is to reduce the risk of developing cancer because it has anti-carcinogenic effects. A link between adequate vitamin D status and a lower risk of cancer has been found by many studies.

In addition, many studies have reported an association between vitamin D deficiency and an increased risk of heart diseases such as hypertension, heart failure and ischemic heart disease.

Where can we get vitamin D?

Vitamin D comes from three main sources, namely sunlight, food, and supplements.

As much as 80% of the source of vitamin D is obtained from sun exposure. On the skin, sunlight will produce vitamin D which is then metabolized in the body to get an active form of vitamin D. Given the large role sunlight plays in the synthesis of vitamin D, of course outdoor activities to get enough sun exposure are very important.

Apart from sunlight, 20% of vitamin D we get through food. Food sources that are rich in vitamin D are salmon, tuna, sardines, eggs, milk and yogurt. If you can't get enough vitamin D from food and don't get a lot of sunlight, vitamin D supplements can help.

Who is at risk for vitamin D deficiency?

Some of the factors that can cause a person to have lower vitamin D levels are body weight, skin pigmentation, gender and age.

Obesity is a risk factor because vitamin D is stored in fat tissue. In people who are overweight, aka obese, the storage capacity also increases, preventing the circulation of vitamin D into the bloodstream.
Dark skinned people has a natural sunscreen called melanin which keeps the skin from synthesizing vitamin D. As a result, people with darker skin pigmentation tend to have lower levels of vitamin D.
Woman are more at risk of vitamin D deficiency than men, because women tend to have more body fat than men, women spend more time indoors, and tend to use them more often. sunscreen than men.
Age also affects the lack of vitamin D because as we get older, the skin produces less vitamin D, the ability to absorb vitamin D decreases and activities outside the house also decrease.