Why Vitamin D is called Sunshine Vitamin

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that acts as a steroid hormone. Vitamin D influences the bones, intestines, immune and cardiovascular systems, pancreas, muscles, brain, and the control of cell cycles. Vitamin D is unique because it can be made in the skin from exposure to sunlight. Thirty to 90 minutes in the sun will give the average person all the daily vitamin D he/she needs. The key is in the skin’s oils -- a derivative of cholesterol called 7-dehydrocholesterol. When exposed to sunshine, this compound is converted to cholecalciferol – which is then converted to the actual vitamin D, known as: 25-hydroxy-cholecalciferol, or D3. Therefore, Vitamin D is called sunshine vitamin.

Vitamin D insufficiency affects almost 50% of the population worldwide. An estimated 1 billion people worldwide, across all ethnicities and age groups, have a vitamin D deficiency. The high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency is a particularly important public health issue because hypovitaminosis D is an independent risk factor for total mortality in the general population. Obtaining sufficient vitamin D from natural food sources alone is difficult. Consumption of vitamin D-fortified foods and exposure to some sunlight are essential for maintaining a healthy vitamin D status. Dietary supplements might be required to meet the daily need for vitamin D in infants, older adults, pregnant mothers etc.