The generation of vitamin D in the human body is not directly related to the matter-wave duality of photons. Instead, it is associated with the interaction of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the Sun with a molecule in our skin called 7-dehydrocholesterol.
When UVB (ultraviolet B) radiation from the Sun reaches the Earth's surface, it can penetrate the skin. Within the skin, UVB photons with specific energy interact with the 7-dehydrocholesterol molecules, causing a photochemical reaction. This reaction results in the conversion of 7-dehydrocholesterol into previtamin D3.
Previtamin D3 is then thermally converted into vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) through a process called isomerization, which occurs within the skin as a result of body heat. Vitamin D3 is a biologically inactive form that further undergoes metabolic processes in the liver and kidneys to produce the active form of vitamin D, known as calcitriol.
Calcitriol plays a crucial role in regulating calcium and phosphorus absorption in the intestines and promoting their utilization in bone growth and remodeling. While photons exhibit both particle-like and wave-like properties, it is the specific energy carried by the UVB photons that triggers the chemical reaction in the skin, leading to the synthesis of vitamin D. The matter-wave duality of photons refers to their wave-particle nature, but in the context of vitamin D synthesis, it is the energy of the photons that matters, rather than their wave-like behavior.