Here's What Vitamin D Does For Your Skin

When you think about vitamin D, I'm sure the first thought that pops into your head is the sun. While the sun can help our bodies produce vitamin D, we can't be laying out on the beach year-round! So, what does vitamin D do for your skin? Aside from its obvious effects on our mood, vitamin D actually has more benefits that you may not be aware of.

Vitamin D can actually help your body absorb calcium and phosphorus and help facilitate your immune system. So when your mom would tell you to drink your milk, it turns out she was right! Since vitamin D helps put these minerals into our bones and teeth, deficiency can cause bone diseases like osteoporosis.

If you're not taking a vitamin D supplement or eating foods that are packed with the good-for-you nutrient, you might want to consider figuring out how to get your daily dose, stat. It's not as difficult as you might think! Other sources of vitamin D include foods like salmon, egg yolks, shrimp, milk, yogurt and some brands of orange juice.

According to the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), the recommended daily dose for children and adults up to age 70 is about 600 micrograms per day. Of course, too much is not a good thing either, so it's also important not to overdo it!

Here are some of vitamin D's most important benefits if you aren't convinced you need more of it:

It Reduces The Risk Of The Flu

According to Medical News Today, taking 1200 micrograms of vitamin D during flu season may significantly reduce your risk of the flu — by up to 40 percent.

It Maintains Bones & Teeth

Vitamin D helps promote healthy, strong bones and since your pearly whites are considered bones, you can keep the cavities away with a higher vitamin D intake.

It Regulates Insulin Levels

Healthy levels of vitamin D help the body tolerate glucose and regulate insulin secretion. Because of that, infants that received 2000 micrograms of vitamin D per day were 88 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes during adulthood.

It Can Help Prevent Cancer

As it turns out, vitamin D is extremely important for regulating cell growth and monitoring communication between cells, which means that it has the potential to reduce cancer progression by slowing the growth and development of new blood vessels in cancerous tissue.

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