Should I take vitamin D now there’s less sun, or for bone or immune health?

It can be easy to think you get plenty of vitamin D when you live in a country bathed in sunshine, but the reality is more complicated. Almost one in four Australian adults have vitamin D deficiency . Vitamin D supplements are now one of the most commonly used complementary medicines. So what is vitamin D? And do you need to take it as a supplement?

Should I take vitamin D now there’s less sun, or for bone or immune health?. It can be easy to think you get plenty of vitamin D when you live in a country bathed in sunshine, but the reality is more complicated. Almost one in four Australian adults have vitamin D deficiency . Vitamin D supplements are now one of the most commonly used complementary medicines. So what is vitamin D? And do you need to take it as a supplement? It functions like a hormone Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a crucial role in maintaining overall health. Unlike most vitamins, it functions more like a hormone in the body, and nearly every cell has a receptor for it. It exists in several forms, but vitamin D3, also known as cholecalciferol, is the most important. Once in the body, D3 undergoes changes – first in the liver and then in the kidneys – to b...