Vitamin D3
Chemical name:
Calciferol
Description
Very widespread in the animal and plant world, this is one of the very few vitamins synthesized in significant quantities by our body, and more particularly by the epidermis of the skin.
This synthesis covers 50 to 70% of the body's needs, the rest having to be provided by the diet. Vitamin D3 is mainly from animal sources, and vitamin D2 (not synthesized by our body) from plant sources.
Vitamin D3 is mainly present in animal products such as fatty fish (salmon: 8 µg/100 g; sardines in oil: 6.7 µg/100 g), eggs (1.6 µg/100 g), cheese (Emmental: 1.8 µg/100 g), etc.
The recommended daily intake of vitamin D is 5 µg/d.
The benefits
- Vitamin D is mainly known for its role in ossification. Indeed, it participates in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the intestine, which favors the mineralization of the skeleton. This action has the consequence of maintaining bone health (and thus a preventive effect against osteoporosis), but also of the teeth.
- However, it would be simplistic to regard the functions of vitamin D as being solely skeletal related. It has been shown that it is also involved in the normal functioning of the immune system and that it also plays a role in the process of cell division. Finally, calciferol also contributes to the maintenance of normal muscle function.
