Worldwide, about one billion people would suffer. Also known as hypovitaminosis D, the vitamin D deficiency it is the condition resulting from the absence of adequate quantities of this fat-soluble organic compound in the body. The so-called ‘sun vitamin’, similar in chemical structure to steroid hormones, performs very important functions. First of all, it promotes the absorption of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphates and zinc in the intestine and maintains normal blood levels. It also strengthens bones through the deposition of calcium in the bone tissue, promoting its growth in children. The natural supply of vitamin D for humans essentially depends on exposure to sunlight which allows the conversion of a specific precursor to the skin. According to the WHO, in fact, you should be exposed to sunlight for at least half an hour a day. The intake, however, can also take place through a diet rich in foods such as mushrooms, fatty cheeses, cod liver oil, blue fish and butter.
Different are the cause vitamin D deficiency: insufficient dietary intake, inadequate sun exposure, impaired intestinal absorption, increased need, presence of medical conditions such as liver and kidney diseases, taking special drugs (anticonvulsants, antivirals, glucocorticoids). There are also risk factors capable of increasing the possibility of developing hypovitaminosis. These include: obesity, cigarette smoking, alcoholism, old age, breastfeeding. Still celiac disease, blood cancers, cystic fibrosis and chronic pancreatitis. Vitamin D deficiency not only compromises bone mineralization (this condition favors rickets and osteoporosis), but is also associated with a not negligible increase in cardiovascular risk and predisposition to various pathologies: diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemias and syndrome metabolic. THE symptoms there are various vitamin D deficiencies: pain in the bones and joints, recurrent fatigue, weakness and muscle fasciculations, difficulty in thinking clearly, bones that tend to deform in young subjects and break in adults.
There is a connection between vitamin D deficiency and difficulty a lose weight? Many nutritionists have pointed out that this fat-soluble organic compound has a high slimming power. The ratio between fat mass and lean mass, in fact, is balanced in individuals with high blood concentrations of vitamin D. They appear normal weight and do not tend to gain weight. The merit belongs to liptin, a particular hormone that reduces hunger, increases the sense of satiety and inhibits the formation of cytokines, or protein molecules responsible for the formation of abdominal fat. But that is not all. A new Research published on Nutrition Journal has come to the conclusion that an increase in the intake of vitamin D leads to a reduction in the percentage of body fat. This is because the sun’s vitamin affects the storage and production of fat and has an impact on other hormones (testosterone) and neurotransmitters (serotonin). Testosterone promotes weight loss by increasing metabolism, serotonin, on the other hand, is able to reduce appetite by making you satiate longer.
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