| Vitamin D, calciferol, is a fat-soluble vitamin. Vitamin D is found in food, but also can be made in your body after exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun. It exists in several forms, each with a different activity. Some forms are relatively inactive in the body, and have limited ability to function as a vitamin. The liver and kidney help convert Vitamin D to its active hormone form. Vitamin D is necessary to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium, helping to form and maintain strong bones. It promotes bone mineralization in concert with a number of other vitamins, minerals, and hormones. Without Vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, soft, or misshapen. Vitamin D prevents rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, which are skeletal diseases that result in defects that weaken bones. Vitamin D is present in fortified foods, which are its major dietary sources. Prior to the fortification of milk products in the 1930s, rickets (a bone disease seen in children) was a major public health problem in the United States. Milk in the United States is fortified with 10 micrograms (400 IU) of Vitamin D per quart, and rickets is now uncommon in the US. One cup of Vitamin D fortified milk supplies about one-fourth of the estimated daily need for this vitamin for adults. Although milk is fortified with Vitamin D, dairy products made from milk such as cheese, yogurt, and ice cream are generally not fortified with Vitamin D. Only a few foods, including fatty fish and fish oils, naturally contain significant amounts of Vitamin D.
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