Symptoms and Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency

By Dr. Sachin Singh | 13th Sep 2022

What is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is essential for strong bones, muscles, and overall health. Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol) are the two primary types of vitamin D.

It is mainly obtained from sunlight exposure, however, some foods also contain it. Dietary supplements can boost vitamin D consumption. These sources of the sunshine vitamin are physiologically inactive and must be hydroxylated to be effective.

Sources of Vitamin D

These fish have a lot of oil in them, like salmon, sardines, herring, and mackerel. They can help you stay healthy.
Liver and red meat
eggs with yolks.
Then some foods have been made stronger, like fat spreads and breakfast cereals.

What is Vitamin D Deficiency?

Vitamin D deficiency happens when the body doesn’t get enough vitamin D from sunlight or food. A lack of vitamin D can lead to weak bones, osteoporosis, and broken bones. Vitamin D is sometimes called the “sunshine vitamin” because when your skin is exposed to sunlight, your body makes it from cholesterol.

Sign and Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency

If we have an insufficient amount of vitamin D then some of the common symptoms happen such as:

Fatigue
Osteoporosis
High blood pressure and heart disease
Cancer
Autoimmune diseases
Depression and changes in mood
Bad skin health, like redness, dryness, and inflammation
Insomnia
Pain in the joints and arthritis
Diabetes
Trouble concentrating
Asthma
Hair loss
Multiple sclerosis
Pain in the muscles or bones that does not go away
Psoriasis
Fibromyalgia

What are the Causes Vitamin D Deficiency?

1. Not getting enough sunlight for the body:

The skin uses sunlight to make vitamin D. As a result, those who spend a lot of time indoors or who reside in areas with low levels of sunlight are at risk of having a deficiency of vitamin D. Sunlight absorption can also be cut down if you have darker skin, utilizing sunscreen, or getting older.

2. Deﬁciency in dietary consumption:

Salmon, redfish, cod liver oil, shark liver oil and mushrooms are all good sources of sunshine vitamins. But most people don’t eat these things very often. Some foods, like milk and cereal, have vitamin D added to them. And some common foods, like eggs and cheese, so you can have small amounts of vitamins regularly.

3. Gastrointestinal issues:

Although if you eat a lot of vitamins, your GIT needs to be able to absorb them. Vitamin D can be hard to absorb in the digestive tract if you have bowel disease or have had gastric bypass surgery.

4. Kidney or liver problems:

The liver and kidneys are capable to change their inactive metabolite into their active forms. If a liver failure (cirrhosis) or kidney failure is caused, results in a deficiency of vitamin D in the human body.

What are the Effects of Excessive Vitamin D Intake?

Too much sunshine vitamin, which is called vitamin D toxicity, can be bad for your health. Toxicity causes nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite, constipation, weakness, and weight loss. The kidneys can also be damaged by too much vitamin D. Overdosed vitamin D elevates blood calcium levels. High blood calcium levels, called hypercalcemia, can cause confusion, disorientation, and problems with the way the heart beats.

Most people get too much vitamin D when they take too many multivitamin supplements. Too much sun exposure doesn’t cause vitamin D toxic effects because the body limits how much of this vitamin it tends to make.

Managing and Treating Vitamin D Deficiency

It can be treated by consuming a large amount of Vitamin D every day through sunlight and food. If you don’t eat eggs or meat, spend most of your time in indoors, and are allergic to the sun, you should consult your doctor about whether you need Vitamin D supplements.

Vitamin D3 is the most recommended supplement because it quickly makes up for missing vitamins. Vitamin D supplements work best when combined with a diet high in fat. Taking a Vitamin D supplement with a meal that has fat makes it more effective by more than 30%.

Vitamin D supplements

These are some Vitamin D supplements you can take.
(Before taking any of these supplements always consult with your doctor.)

You shouldn’t take supplements when you’re hungry. Depending on what the doctor says, the dose can be once a day, once a week, or even once a month. Get your blood checked every three months so you can see how far you’ve come and if the supplements are still doing what you want them to.

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