Symptoms And Health Risks Of Vitamin D Deficiency
However, for many people, the symptoms are subtle. Yet, even without symptoms, too little vitamin D can pose health risks.
What Is Vitamin D?
It is present in a small number of foods, including fortified products.
When vitamin D enters the body, it is not in an active form. To use it, the body needs to convert it to an active form called 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] or calcidiol. However, in a 2019 study , 2,423 people at risk of type 2 diabetes took either a vitamin D supplement of 4,000 international units (IU) a day or a placebo.
However, taking the supplement did not appear to reduce the risk of diabetes developing. Learn more about the health benefits of vitamin D.
What Are Some Common Symptoms Of Vitamin D Deficiency?
While many factors can influence those symptoms, if you haven’t changed your lifestyle recently, such conditions may be signs of vitamin D deficiency.
If you fit this description, consider voicing your concerns to your primary care provider or a registered dietitian. “Because vitamin D isn’t found in a lot of foods, and sun exposure may be limited depending on where you live, I recommend everyone get their vitamin D levels checked at their annual checkup,” says Anzlovar.
Diseases & Conditions
He “sunshine” vitamin is a hot topic.
It’s shocking for most people when they have never had a problem before and believe nothing has changed to make it a problem now. Vitamin D was discovered to be essential when it was found to be needed for the treatment of rickets. Vitamin D is one of the four fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K).
Vitamin D2, also known as ergocalciferol, comes from fortified foods, plant foods, and over-the-counter supplements. Vitamin D3, also known as cholecalciferol, comes from fortified foods, animal foods (fatty fish, cod liver oil, eggs, and liver), supplements, and can be made internally when your skin is exposed ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. Many believe that vitamin D should be classified as a hormone, with some calling it the forgotten neurosteroid.
The health consequences of being deficient go far beyond rickets and what occurs with any other vitamin. And unlike other vitamins, it can be made by your body when exposed to the sun and the active form in your body, called calcitriol, has similarities to other hormones (estrogen, cortisol, and testosterone). The real dangers of excessive exposure to the sun and skin cancer have been greatly publicized and resulted in people covering up and using sunscreen when in the sun.
These include skeletal diseases like osteoporosis, certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune diseases, infections, inflammatory bowel diseases, psychological disorders, cognitive disorders, obesity, and or mortality.