Vitamin D is well-known for the health benefits it can bring to our bones. However, research has shown that this is just one of the many effects that this vitamin has in our body and how deficiency of this vitamin is so widespread and related to a variety of health problems. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, known as “calciferol”, and is present in the human body in two forms: as ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) and cholecalciferol (vitamin D3). Vitamin D2 is present in foods of plant origin and is taken in through our diet; vitamin D3, on the other hand, is synthesised through our skin upon exposure to sunlight, and is present in food products of animal origin. It has many properties, as although the name defines it as a vitamin, it is actually a “para-hormone” in that it exerts its activity on organs and systems, just like a hormone. There is a great deal of scientific evidence to suggest that vitamin D plays a fundamental role in disease prevention. Just think how there are about 30,000 genes in the human body and vitamin D is found in nearly 3,000 of them, along with vitamin D receptors found throughout the body. Above all, it is essential for our skeletal system, it stimulates the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, as well as promoting their deposit; this role is essential for both children throughout their growth phase, as well as throughout the course of an adult’s life, where it is essential to keep the bones strong and physiologically healthy, acting as a contrast to osteoporosis. What is most surprising is the disconcerting scientific evidence that suggests 50% of the population are deficient in vitamin D, i.e. they present a serum value of 25(OH)D lower than 30 ng/ml. It emerges that nearly 100% of people suffering from diseases have severe deficiencies even lower than 20 ng/ml. Getting even more specific, almost 60% of adults (and even 80% of the elderly) have a vitamin D deficiency, as the alarming data of the International Osteoporosis Foundation and the Italian Osteoporosis Society show. Those most at risk are: the elderly, whose skin is less efficient in converting the sun’s rays into vitamin D; those who are overweight (since vitamin D is fat-soluble); and obviously those who have a sedentary lifestyle and use sunscreen in the summer (preventing the skin from producing vitamin D). From the latest research emerged another alarming
