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.
What Is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that the body produces when the skin gets exposed to sunlight. It is present in a small number of foods, including fortified products. To use it, the body needs to convert it to an active form called 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] or calcidiol.
The results of a serum vitamin D blood test may show the following: Too high and possibly harmful : 125 nmol/l or more
: 125 nmol/l or more Sufficient : 50–125 nmol/l
: 50–125 nmol/l At risk of inadequacy : 30–49 nmol/l
: 30–49 nmol/l At risk of deficiency: 30 nmol/l or less Functions of vitamin D Vitamin D has many important functions, including : supporting bone health by enabling the absorption of calcium
promoting muscle health
modulating the immune system
aiding cell growth
reducing inflammation, which helps prevent diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis
regulating blood pressure and supporting cardiovascular health Low vitamin D and diabetes Some experts have suggested that vitamin D may help prevent type 2 diabetes. Learn more about the health benefits of vitamin D.
Diseases & Conditions
He “sunshine” vitamin is a hot topic.
The truth is that a lot has changed, and vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are now a global public health problem affecting an estimated 1 billion people worldwide. So it’s essential that you provide vitamins for your body by food and/or supplements. There are two forms of vitamin D: D2 and D3.
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. Structurally, these two are not the same. 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. We have also had a shift in spending less time outdoors because of increased work hours and more sedentary lives.
These include skeletal diseases like osteoporosis, certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune diseases, infections, inflammatory bowel diseases, psychological disorders, cognitive disorders, obesity, and or mortality. This article will teach you all that you need to know about the benefits of achieving and maintaining optimal vitamin D levels and how you can do i.