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🔷 Vitamin D promotes intestinal absorption of calcium and phosphorus, which are crucial for bone mineralization.

🔷 The active form calcitriol increases calcium-binding proteins in the intestinal mucosa, enhancing calcium uptake from food.

🔷 Adequate vitamin D helps maintain normal serum calcium and phosphorus, supporting strong bones and teeth.

🔷 When vitamin D is deficient, calcium/phosphorus absorption decreases, leading to rickets in children and osteomalacia /osteoporosis in adults.

🔷 Because of this role, vitamin D is often prescribed together with calcium to optimize bone health and prevent bone demineralization.

Protection of polyunsaturated fatty acids

🔷 Protection of polyunsaturated fatty acids in cell membranes from oxidative damage is mainly a function of vitamin E, an antioxidant, not vitamin D.

🔷 Vitamin D’s primary role is in mineral metabolism and bone health, not in protecting fatty acids from oxidation.

Synthesis of clotting factors

🔷 The hepatic synthesis of clotting factors II, VII, IX, and X requires vitamin K, not vitamin D.

🔷 Vitamin D does not participate in the coagulation cascade, so it is not responsible for the synthesis of clotting factors.

Maintenance of skin and mucous membranes

🔷 Vitamin A is more strongly associated with maintenance of epithelial tissues, including skin and mucous membranes.

🔷 While vitamin D has some roles in overall health, its key function is calcium/phosphorus balance, not epithelial maintenance.