Why do women tend to absorb less vitamin D than men?

A vitamin D It is an extremely fundamental nutrient for maintaining a healthy body, as it plays important roles, such as regulating the immune system and maintaining bone health. However, what few know is that this nutrient behaves differently in men and women, where it can be less present in female organisms.

Do women have less vitamin D?

Yes, women usually have less vitamin D in their bodies compared to the amount present in men. As much as it seems strange and meaningless to hear this, there are several studies that prove the truth of this statement.

However, before understanding the reason, it is necessary to know how vitamin D works in our body and how it is possible to acquire it.

The importance of vitamin D

Vitamin D is responsible for regulating the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the intestine, valuing our body's bone health, which prevents diseases such as osteoporosis and rickets, for example.

In addition, it also strengthens the immune system, protecting the body against infections and diseases of different types.

Getting Vitamin D

Normally, obtaining vitamin D is through diet, exposure to the sun and supplementation. In food, the nutrient is present in foods of animal origin, such as fish, eggs and red meat, appearing as the main sources of the vitamin.

However, exposure to the sun is also necessary for nutrient regulation in the body, where the estimated sunbathing time is 10 to 15 minutes at healthy times.

When these two ways of obtaining the nutrient are not possible, supplementation is a great alternative, occurring through pills, capsules and other medications.

Women may have less vitamin D than men

Through research that analyzed several factors that imply the presence of vitamin D, it was possible to notice that women have lower levels of the nutrient. This happens for both social and biological reasons.

Socially speaking, women are more concerned with aesthetics, and this makes them start using products with the aim of protecting the skin, such as makeup and sunscreen.

With that, sun exposure is reduced, and they end up getting little vitamin D through sun exposure.

In the biological field, it is scientifically proven that women have lower bone density than men. In other words, the minerals present in the bones are in lesser amount, causing them to have weaker bones.

In addition, the absorption of the nutrient in the body female undergoes greater changes when women begin the transition from the reproductive phase to the postmenopausal phase.