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The bioavailability of vitamin D is managed by several internal control mechanisms to ensure your body gets only what it needs. Though it sounds complicated, this process is regulated naturally by the body. Calcitriol binds to vitamin D receptors in nearly every cell throughout the body. After arriving in the liver, vitamin D requires two metabolic conversions to become calcitriol – the active form of vitamin D. Pre-vitamin D3 then converts to vitamin D3 in the skin and transfers to the bloodstream over several days. Vitamin D is naturally produced when UVB light is absorbed by the skin, converting a specialized cholesterol to pre-vitamin D3. Despite being called a vitamin, vitamin D is actually a hormone produced within the body. Vitamin D is often referred to as the sunshine vitamin because vitamin D3 production in the skin is activated by the sun’s ultraviolet B (UVB) rays.
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