Many people know Vitamin D for the beneficial effects it is able to bring to bones, but research has shown that this is only one of the many effects that this vitamin has in our body and how its deficiency is so widespread and related to various problems. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, called "calciferol", present in the human body in two forms: as ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) and colecalciferol (vitamin D3). Vitamin D2 is present in foods of plant origin and is taken in through the diet; vitamin D3, on the other hand, is synthesized through the skin, thanks to exposure to sunlight, and is present in products of animal origin. Its properties are many also because despite the name defining it as a vitamin, it is actually a "para-hormone" as it exerts its activity on organs and systems, just like a hormone. A lot of scientific data is showing that vitamin D plays a fundamental role in maintaining normal bones and teeth and in normal blood calcium levels. Just think that there are about 30,000 genes in the body, and vitamin D is found in almost 3,000 of them, just as vitamin D receptors are found throughout the body.

In the first place, it is essential for the skeletal system, it stimulates the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, as well as favoring their deposit; a role that is essential both for children throughout their growth phase, as well as throughout their lives as adults, where it is essential for the maintenance of normal bones and teeth. The subjects most at risk are the elderly whose skin is less efficient in converting sunlight into vitamin D, those who are overweight (since vitamin D is fat-soluble) and obviously those who lead a sedentary lifestyle and use sunscreens in the summer (they prevent the skin from producing vitamin D). We have mentioned sunlight in correlation to the production of vitamin D because it is precisely synthesized by the body thanks to sunlight. In fact, about 80% of the requirement would be synthesized through the skin: this is why being outdoors is important, even if today we spend most of our time at school, in the office, at home or in any case indoors. To produce the necessary amount of vitamin D, 15 minutes of daily exposure is sufficient for the body (dark phototypes need a few more minutes because dark skin synthesizes less).

Unfortunately, however, in addition to not always having the opportunity to constantly expose ourselves to the sun in all months of the year to provide us with the important daily requirement, "buffering" with food is often not enough, given that foods naturally rich in vitamin D are not many and contribute only 20% to cover the needs. Those that contain the most are of animal origin such as cod liver oil (administered to school children, until recently, to prevent rickets), oily fish (salmon, tuna, cod, mackerel, sardines, herring, etc.), but also swordfish, grouper, molluscs, bottarga and caviar, preferably from wild fish, in the meat (particularly in the offal), and although in smaller quantities, in the egg yolk and in the butter and The Yogurt. In vegetables, with the exception of mushrooms, which contain a lot of it (2.6 micrograms equal to 104 IU in each hectogram), it is scarce: negligible traces in the form of D2, however, are found in green leafy vegetables, legumes, fruit dried and in sunflower seeds.

Finally, let's not forget that monounsaturated fatty acids, such as those in extra virgin olive oil, improve their absorption (vitamin D, as mentioned at the beginning, is fat soluble). For these limiting reasons, it is increasingly common to be able to take vitamin D in the form of a food supplement, a practice relegated until recently to infants, children, pre- and menopausal women or the elderly with osteoporosis problems.

aAWkVENnID How to use: take 1 tablet a day, with water.

aAWkVENnID Warnings: Do not exceed the recommended daily dose. The supplements are not intended as a substitute for a varied diet. A varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are important. Keep out of the reach of children under three years of age. Keep in a cold and dry place. Avoid exposure to heat sources and sunlight.