Symptoms And Health Risks Of Vitamin D Deficiency
Symptoms of bone pain and muscle weakness can mean you have a vitamin D deficiency. Yet, even without symptoms, too little vitamin D can pose health risks. Low blood levels of the vitamin have been associated with the following: Increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease
Cognitive impairment in older adults
Severe asthma in children
Cancer Research suggests that vitamin D could play a role in the prevention and treatment of a number of different conditions, including type1 and type 2 diabetes, hypertension, glucose intolerance, and multiple sclerosi.
How The Test Is Performed
The examples above are common measurements for results of these tests. Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Some laboratories use different measurements or test different samples.
25 hydroxy vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is the vitamin D that your own body has made or that you absorbed from an animal source (such as fatty fish or liver) or a cholecalciferol supplement. The important value is the total 25 hydroxy vitamin D level in your blood. Many people are confused by the way these tests are reporte.
What Is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that’s involved in many essential body functions. There are two forms of vitamin D in the diet and supplements: Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol): found in some mushrooms. Found in some mushrooms.
Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol): found in oily fish, fish liver oil, and egg yolks. D3 is the more powerful of the two types and raises vitamin D levels almost twice as much as D2 Significant amounts of vitamin D can also be made in your skin when exposed to UV rays from sunlight.
Almost every cell in your body has a receptor for vitamin D. It’s essential to many processes, including bone health, immune system function, and can help protect against cancer
Vitamin D Levels: What’S Normal?
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that a vitamin D level between 20-50 nanograms/milliliter (ng/mL) is typically within the adequate range for healthy individuals. Easily check your vitamin D levels with the at-home vitamin D blood test.