Vitamin D
Vitamin D3 is found in nature almost exclusively in animal sources, particularly fish, dairy products, eggs and meat. Plants such as lichens also contain vitamin D, as do various fungi, which contain the less effective form of vitamin D2.
Vitamin D occupies a very special position among the vitamins. On the one hand, it is one of the few vitamins that we hardly consume through food, but instead produce in the skin with the help of the sun. On the other hand, vitamin D is not a vitamin in the classic sense, but rather a hormone precursor.
Unlike many other vitamins, it is converted in the body into an important hormone that regulates cell function and numerous bodily processes. Almost all body cells have special receptors for the vitamin D hormone and are dependent on a sufficient supply of vitamin D.
Vitamin D is still the subject of intensive research. New mechanisms of action of this fascinating vitamin are discovered almost every year. To date, the following statements on vitamin D have been authorised by the EU (EFSA):
Vitamin D contributes to
- the normal absorption and utilisation of calcium and phosphorus
- normal blood calcium levels
- the maintenance of bones
- the maintenance of normal muscle function
- the maintenance of healthy teeth
- the normal function of the immune system
- cell division
