Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that plays a key role in maintaining good health and development. It helps the body absorb calcium, phosphorus, and other minerals important for bone health.
Vitamin D also supports healthy nerve function, as well as cell growth and development. Studies have shown that low levels of vitamin D can increase the risk of developing certain illnesses such as rickets, osteomalacia, tuberculosis, asthma, and even some types of cancer.
In addition to this, recent research has indicated that adequate levels of vitamin D are extremely important for children’s physical and mental development. This article will discuss the importance of vitamin D on child development by examining its impact on brain development, bone, muscle growth, and overall growth/development.
Vitamin D and its Impact on Child Development
Brain Development
Vitamin D is essential for normal brain development. It plays an important role in the formation and growth of neurons, allowing them to transmit signals from one part of the body to another efficiently.
A lack of vitamin D has been linked to a range of mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. Studies have also shown that adequate levels are needed for optimum cognitive performance, with children who were deficient performing worse on tests than those with sufficient vitamin D levels.
Furthermore, it appears that pregnant women who don’t get enough vitamin D are more likely to give birth prematurely or have babies with lower IQs and smaller heads than those whose mothers had higher amounts during pregnancy.
Bones and Muscles
Adequate levels of vitamin D are crucial for good bone health as it helps the body absorb calcium which is necessary for strong bones and teeth. Without sufficient amounts present, bones can become weak leading to rickets (softening/deformation), osteoporosis (brittle bones), or other skeletal deformities in children if left untreated over time.
Similarly, studies suggest that children who do not consume enough vitamin-D-rich foods may be at risk for poor muscle strength due to less efficient energy production within muscle cells caused by low concentrations of this nutrient being available within their bodies.
Growth & Development
To promote healthy bone growth, optimal amounts of Vitamin D enable proper functioning throughout all stages of development, from infancy through adulthood.
By aiding cell division processes vital during fetal development, helping organ systems form correctly, providing protection against infections, influencing gene expression, maintaining specialized tissue structures like skin properly hydrated, regulating hormones synthesis, and assisting immunity response among many other functions related directly or indirectly with physical/mental wellbeing. Ensuring an adequate intake through diet or supplementation can mean improved overall outcomes regarding a child’s long.
Sources of Vitamin D
Being synthesized in the skin through exposure to sunlight, vitamin D can also be obtained from certain foods. The best dietary sources are fish such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna, cod liver oil, dairy products such as cheese and milk, egg yolks, fortified breakfast cereals, orange juice, and some types of mushrooms.
Other lesser-known sources include beef liver, oysters, shrimp, and sardines. Supplements containing the nutrient are also available for those who do not get enough from their diet or cannot spend time outdoors in the sun due to health reasons or lifestyle choices.
Sunlight Can Provide
Sunlight is an important source of vitamin D because it helps our body produce more of this vital nutrient when we expose ourselves to it directly while spending time outside. This natural process occurs when ultraviolet rays coming from the sun react with a substance found in human skin called 7-dehydrocholesterol which then transforms into cholecalciferol (also known as vitamin D.
Although any amount of direct sunshine will help increase our levels slightly, research suggests that exposing arms and legs for 15 minutes before 10 am or after 3 pm at least twice weekly would provide enough exposure for most people during summer months – whilst taking precautions against burning (e. g., wearing sunscreen) – if you live above latitude 37° North/South.
Final words
In conclusion, vitamin D is an essential nutrient for healthy development in children. It plays a key role in brain development and ensures adequate levels of calcium and other minerals are absorbed by the body to support strong bones and muscles.
Adequate amounts can be obtained through dietary sources such as fish, dairy products, eggs, fortified breakfast cereals, orange juice, or mushrooms, or supplementation if needed. Sunlight can also provide sufficient amounts of this vital nutrient when it reacts with 7-dehydrocholesterol found in the skin to form cholecalciferol (Vitamin D.
Therefore, parents should ensure that their children get enough vitamin D from all these sources so they can benefit from its many health benefits for optimal physical and mental growth throughout childhood without any risks associated with deficiency.