How Our Bodies Convert Sunlight Into Vitamin D

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by Marta Ribeiro |

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Many amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients have a vitamin D deficiency, and recent studies have shown that this vitamin can benefit ALS patients. Vitamin D is often called the “sunshine vitamin,” mostly because we can get it naturally when the sun’s UV rays interact with our skin, which triggers the vitamin’s synthesis. This very important vitamin aids our body’s absorption of calcium to keep our bones strong and encourage healthy cells to grow.

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Vitamin D can be found naturally in foods such as egg yolks, oily fish, and mushrooms. Some food products such as milk, orange juice, and breakfast cereals are fortified with it. However, the best source of vitamin D is the sun. This video from DNews explains how our skin converts sunlight into vitamin D–a process called dermal vitamin synthesis.

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