Ever since COVID-19 emerged, Vitamin D has been in the news a lot. Some experts consider Vitamin D deficiency as one of the factors affecting the severity of COVID-19 infection.

Vitamin D3:

Vitamin D3 is a part of the D vitamin family. It is actually a hormone that is naturally produced when your body is exposed to the sun. It has many health benefits. According to a study done in 2008, Vitamin D3 helps with brain development. A lack of Vitamin D3 in pregnant women may be a contributing factor to autism in children.  As per some experts, D3 may also play an important role in the development of gross motor skills. It may even help in some aspects of emotional development.

What causes Vitamin D deficiency?

While you may easily get most other nutrients from the food you eat, Vitamin D is present in only a few food items such as fish, cod liver oil, and eggs. Your body can make this vitamin too when your skin is directly exposed to sunlight. The problem is that most of us now spend too little time under the sun. And when we step out, we wear sunscreen which interferes with the production of Vitamin D in our body.  This leads to a deficiency of Vitamin D.

What is vitamin D deficiency?:

Nutrient D insufficiency implies that you need more nutrient D in your body. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to many serious health problems. If your body is deficient in Vitamin D, it will not be able to absorb calcium effectively. This lack of calcium may result in osteoporosis. It may also cause high blood pressure in some people. Vitamin D deficiency also increases the risk of other bone density health problems such as rickets which causes skeletal deformity. This deficiency in mothers may also cause serious problems in their children.

How to get sufficient Vitamin D:

If you have Vitamin D deficiency, try to spend more time under the sun. A few hours spent outdoors every week is all you need to have sufficient Vitamin D. If you can’t do that, you can take Vitamin D supplements after consulting your doctor.

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