Vitamin D Disorders
Vitamin D is not a vitamin, it's a hormone! Vitamin-D is necessary for a number of bodily functions. It's made from the breakdown of skin cells, catalysed by UV light (the sun!) and undergoes a number of metabolic 'activation' steps in the body before it can exert its effect on cells.
When vitamin D is very deficient, people can get muscle pain and weakness and bone pains - a condition called osteomalacia (or rickets in children) but mild vitamin D deficiency is very common in The UK (little sun!) and usually causes no symptoms. There is currently great interest in medical science as to the importance of vitamin D in its role (including a preventive role) in inflammation, cancer and some other important areas of basic cellular function in mammalian biology.
Daily requirements for vitamin-D assuming person is replete initially is about 400iu;
For vitamin D deficiency usually a course of high strength Vitamin-D (cholcalciferol) is required and is obtained by prescription;