Vitamin D – The Vitamin Hormone

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in bone metabolism and seems to have some anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating properties. For most people sunlight is the most important source of vitamin D. The time required to make sufficient vitamin D varies according to a numbe...

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Main Author: George L. Muntingh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AOSIS 2016-05-01
Series:South African Family Practice
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Online Access:https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/4459
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author George L. Muntingh
author_facet George L. Muntingh
author_sort George L. Muntingh
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description Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in bone metabolism and seems to have some anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating properties. For most people sunlight is the most important source of vitamin D. The time required to make sufficient vitamin D varies according to a number of environmental, physical and personal factors, but is typically short and less than the amount of time needed to damage the skin e.g. reddening and burns. Enjoying the sun safely, while taking care not to burn, can help to provide the benefits of vitamin D without unduly raising the risk of skin cancer. Vitamin D supplements and specific foods can aid in maintaining sufficient levels of vitamin D, particularly in people at risk of deficiency. However, there is still a lot of uncertainty around what are “optimal” or “sufficient” levels, how much sunlight different people need to achieve a given level of vitamin D, and whether vitamin D protects against chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes, as well as the benefits and risks of widespread supplementation.
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series South African Family Practice
spelling doaj-art-e9de6d6aaf634b4b946d7584aa2c06e72025-08-20T03:47:08ZengAOSISSouth African Family Practice2078-61902078-62042016-05-0158310.4102/safp.v58i3.44593608Vitamin D – The Vitamin HormoneGeorge L. Muntingh0Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of PretoriaVitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in bone metabolism and seems to have some anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating properties. For most people sunlight is the most important source of vitamin D. The time required to make sufficient vitamin D varies according to a number of environmental, physical and personal factors, but is typically short and less than the amount of time needed to damage the skin e.g. reddening and burns. Enjoying the sun safely, while taking care not to burn, can help to provide the benefits of vitamin D without unduly raising the risk of skin cancer. Vitamin D supplements and specific foods can aid in maintaining sufficient levels of vitamin D, particularly in people at risk of deficiency. However, there is still a lot of uncertainty around what are “optimal” or “sufficient” levels, how much sunlight different people need to achieve a given level of vitamin D, and whether vitamin D protects against chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes, as well as the benefits and risks of widespread supplementation.https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/4459vitamin ddeficiencychronic diseases
spellingShingle George L. Muntingh
Vitamin D – The Vitamin Hormone
South African Family Practice
vitamin d
deficiency
chronic diseases
title Vitamin D – The Vitamin Hormone
title_full Vitamin D – The Vitamin Hormone
title_fullStr Vitamin D – The Vitamin Hormone
title_full_unstemmed Vitamin D – The Vitamin Hormone
title_short Vitamin D – The Vitamin Hormone
title_sort vitamin d the vitamin hormone
topic vitamin d
deficiency
chronic diseases
url https://safpj.co.za/index.php/safpj/article/view/4459
work_keys_str_mv AT georgelmuntingh vitamindthevitaminhormone