We never know, a beam of sunlight is best for our health. Sometimes, a small wall in the park and a cup of coffee on the terrace keep you relax and refreshed. A mild sunbeam is beneficial for your health. When you are outside and sopping the sunlight, your body is making vitamin D. Sunlight boosts the hormones, which are important for women’s health.
Vitamin D can be obtained through our metabolism from cholesterol and proper diet. The pioneer, 7-dehydrocholesterol is transformed into vitamin D, and the whole mechanism takes place by the exposure to sunlight in our skin.
Our body needs enough Vitamin D to make the body function well. It has a significant role in the prevention of some types of cancers and essential for bone health. According to the studies, it has been revealed that low levels of Vitamin D result in heart attack, diabetes, stroke, blood pressure, and heart failure. Moreover, the equal risk factors are in women as well, which every woman should know.
Risk Factors in Women Due to Vitamin D Deficiency
Pregnancy
The hypothesis on women’s health and vitamin D deficiency shows that women with low levels of blood vitamin D result in low bone minerals in babies when they are delivered. This is an indication of the importance of Vitamin D supplements during pregnancy.
Gestational Diabetes
According to the study published in Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, the deficiency of Vitamin D increases the risk of gestational diabetes in pregnant women as early as in the first trimester. The women with gestational diabetes are at a higher risk of having preeclampsia, delivering macrosomia, and dystocia. Women could also have long-term results for both mothers and infants later in life like obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes.
Osteoporosis
Vitamin D deficiency is not the major reason for osteoporosis, it doesn’t mean it is the main cause of the disease. However, the culprit lesion may cause a fault in the cell’s receptor of vitamin D, which is responsible for bone development. It has been also observed that the low levels of vitamin D serum result in fractures. Sunlight or vitamin D supplements can decrease the risk of Osteoporosis.
Breast Cancer
The deficiency of Vitamin D results in some types of breast cancers in women. As suggested by the studies, women with low levels of vitamin D experience progression of tumors and metastasis in breast cancer and other types of cancers.
Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency
There are several reasons for low levels of Vitamin D serum, the major causes are;
- According to the studies, 10% of vitamin D is present in food. However, improper diet is one of the causes.
- Genetic is another reason, as the low levels of Vitamin D is because of the loss of function of polymorphism in genes coding for metabolic enzymes.
- The poor renal function causes loss of calcium. A healthy liver and kidneys are important to produce Vitamin D.
The exposure of UV wavelength is crucial for the skin to absorb. The significant levels of sunlight are important to obtain daily. However, the lack of sunlight contributes to low levels of Vitamin D.