Vitamin D does more than build strong bones. Here's why kids' gut health depends on it

Vitamin D does more than build strong bones. It also plays a key role in gut health. 

When vitamin D levels are low, the intestinal barrier — the wall that blocks harmful bacteria from entering the bloodstream — begins to break down. A study led by researchers in FIU's Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work found that children and teens with suboptimal vitamin D levels faced a significantly higher risk of this kind of damage, even when they showed no digestive symptoms. Left unchecked, a compromised gut barrier raises the risk of serious conditions including Type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, liver disease, and colon cancer.