Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency is something that is generally overlooked and unfortunately, something that a majority of the population could suffer from.  However, knowledge of some of the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency as well as the sources and benefits of this essential vitamin could fix your unknown problems.

What is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is known as the “sun vitamin” but is actually a steroid that has hormone-like activities.  Vitamin D comes in two forms – D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol).  Moreover, Vitamin D is extremely beneficial for your body because it regulates the functions of at least 200 genes and is likewise important for controlling development and growth.

Outside of its remarkable amount of uses, Vitamin D is also unique because between 50% and 90% of an individual’s vitamin D levels come from ultraviolet radiation from the sun.  The remainder of vitamin D comes from various food sources.  In fact, here are some of the top dietary sources of Vitamin D that will help get you closer to the suggested daily value – 600-800 IU.  However, we will discuss the potential benefits of higher dosing per some newer studies.

Top Foods for Vitamin D Deficiency:

1. Cod Liver Oil (1360 IU per tbsp)
2. Salmon (1035 IU per 155g fillet)
3. Portabella Mushrooms (977 IU per cup)
4. Mackerel (803 IU per 176g fillet)
5. White Button Mushrooms (734 IU per cup)
6. Trout (540 IU per 71g fillet)
7. Canned Tuna (458 IU per can)
8. Fortified Cereals (332 IU per 100 grams)
9. Fortified Milk (127 IU per cup)
10. Orange Juice (100 IU per cup)
11. Kefir (82 IU per cup)
12. Eggs (37 IU per egg/yolk)

Benefits of Vitamin D

This information is all well and good but what are the actual benefits of vitamin D.  Here is a list of some of the top benefits of vitamin D that further support the importance of the “sunshine vitamin”:

• Improve Nervous System Function:

  New research suggests that vitamin D may aide in brain development and also act as a neuroprotectant.  These studies have also shown that vitamin D has an association with the regulation of nerve growth factor (NGF) synthesis. NGF is important in the human body as it is responsible for the growth and survival of neurons.

• Treat Type 2 Diabetes:

  There is some research showing that young people who have higher vitamin D levels decreased their chances of developing type 2 diabetes later in life compared to people who had lower vitamin D levels.  In addition, some studies have also shown that vitamin D supplements can help improve the symptoms of type 2 diabetes.  Best of all, increasing your vitamin D levels is very unlikely to harm you (unless you take about 40,000 IU per day for 90+ days) or make your type 2 diabetes symptoms worse.

• Fights Depression and Similar Mood Disorders:

  Vitamin D is a key nutrient responsible for balancing your mood.  Light therapy is used  to treat a number of mood disorders ranging from mild depression to schizophrenia.

• Reduce Post-Menopausal Weight Gain:

  Studies have shown that post-menopausal women can benefit from vitamin D supplementation and see reduced weight gain.

• Reduce Cancer Risk:

  Studies have shown that increased vitamin D consumption can reduce cancer risks.  Regarding colon cancer, 20 of 30 studies found a statistically significant benefit linked to vitamin D.  Likewise, studies have shown great promise that vitamin D can reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.

• Treat Some Cancer Forms:

  There is some support to show that vitamin D supplementation can decrease cancer mortality and all-cause mortality.

• Treat High Blood Pressure:

  A Boston University Study found that participants with high blood pressure who were exposed to UVA and UVB rays for three months improved their vitamin D levels by more than 100%.  And, more impressively, these participants saw their high blood pressure normalize and stay in “remission” up to 9 months after the study concluded.

• Bone Health

  Vitamin D helps your body absorb important minerals such as calcium which has a very positive impact on your body’s bone health.  Likewise, this can help prevent fractures and other complications of bone diseases such as osteoporosis.

• Muscle Health

  Vitamin D also has a positive impact on the health of your muscles and how they work overall.  New studies have even linked vitamin D levels to improved athletic performance.

Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency

As discussed above, the majority of our Vitamin D comes from the sun and it then supplemented by various dietary sources.  However, in today’s society where we work and live indoors most of the day, our exposure to sufficient amounts of natural sunlight are very limited.  Worse off, this negative trend is further complicated during colder seasons where we don’t have a choice but to be inside.

The sum of these factors results in a variety of negative health issues that you might not have even been aware of.  For instance, that “gloomy mood” that you have during the dead of winter may not just be because Christmas is over.  Moreover, there are recognized risk factors that make it more likely that you are vitamin D deficient including, but not limited to, having darker skin and being over the age of 50.  Regardless of your complexion or age, you should be aware of these signs that you may be suffering from vitamin D deficiency:

1. Weight gain or general obesity:

   There have been numerous links between vitamin D deficiency and insulin resistance.  And, insulin resistance is one of the main factors that could be causing you to gain weight.

2. Depression:

   As discussed above, vitamin D plays an important role in regulating your mood.  Therefore, it is logical that if you are vitamin D deficient, your “blue mood” may be a red flag that should be addressed.

3. Fatigue:

   Vitamin D plays an important role in muscle function and vitamin D deficiency can lead to many disorders such as osteomalacia.  One of the main symptoms of osteomalacia is muscle weakness.

4. Increased Injury Risk:

   Studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency can lead to increased incidents of bone fractures and even muscle or tendon injuries.  On the contrary, as discussed above, athletic performance can improve with proper vitamin D levels.

5. Achy Muscles:

   There is much evidence that most people complaining of general pain and achy muscles are also suffering from vitamin D deficiency.

6. Abnormal Sweating:

   A classic symptom of vitamin D deficiency is increased sweating, especially from a person’s head.  If you feel like your sweating is not normal then the first place you might want to check is your vitamin D levels.

7. Gut (GI Tract) Issues:

   Studies have found that many people suffering broom irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) also suffer from vitamin D deficiency.  Other GI-related issues have also been linked to vitamin D deficiency.

8. High Blood Pressure:

   It is unclear whether vitamin D can treat cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension or whether vitamin D deficiency causes these conditions.  Either way, maintaining proper vitamin D levels is clearly a key to a healthy heart.

9. Poor Concentration:

   There is an abundance of research showcasing the role of vitamin D deficiency in cognitive impairment risk.

10. Restlessness:

    Research indicates that Vitamin D may influence both sleep quality and sleep quantity. Researchers analyzed the sleep patterns and Vitamin D levels among a group of older adult men, and found that Vitamin D deficiency was associated with less sleep overall and also with more disrupted sleep.

11. General Pain:

    Vitamin D deficiency is suspiciously common in people with chronic pain may be because it actually causes it or at least makes it worse.

Conclusion

If you think you may have any of these negative symptoms of vitamin D deficiency or likewise, think you should be proactive and try to obtain some of the benefits of sufficient vitamin D levels then check out what products are available.