Vitamin D, also called the “sunshine vitamin,” is essential for absorbing calcium and regulating our immune function. However, a large percentage of Americans are deficient in this vitamin. Our body can create it through the skin, with the help of the sun, but still many people do not get enough. Vitamin D is not naturally found in many foods with the exception of oily fish, but it is found in fortified foods such as milk and orange juice. Vitamin D is a “fat-soluble” vitamin. Fat-soluble vitamins, which include vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K, need to be accompanied by fat in order to be absorbed. If you eat or drink a food with any of the “ADEK” vitamins, but there is no fat to go along with it, the vitamin is not going to be absorbed into the body. That is why a vitamin D pill is usually packaged in a capsule with oil, or the directions instruct a person to take the pill with foods containing fat.
Deficiency in vitamin D can contribute to osteoporosis, or brittle bones, due to the fact that vitamin D aids in the absorption of the mineral.