Vitamin D doesn’t is not popular as the other vitamins and supplements are, but it’s important for your body as like other vitamins and minerals. If you’ve ever been curious as to why the doctors are always talking about vitamin D, or if you simply want to know what occurs when you don’t have enough, then you’re in the right place because you’re here.
Vitamin D is a key to your bones’ growth and development and the overall health of your bones. Your body needs vitamin D so that it can properly utilize calcium and phosphorus two minerals flat-out necessary to bone formation. Vitamin D isn’t really doing anything, however; it’s necessary to your immune system, your nervous system, and even to your skin and ability to heal.
So what is a vitamin D deficiency, then? Short and sweet, it’s that your body doesn’t have sufficient vitamin D to maintain it functioning properly. It’s a very prevalent condition 1 billion individuals globally are short, and half of the globe has suboptimal status. In the US alone, approximately 35% of adults are in deficiency status. Even though your body can produce vitamin D with sunlight and you can get it through certain foods and through vitamin pills as well, many are deficient in it.
Where do you get vitamin D in the body? The most natural way is through sun. When the ultraviolet (UV) light strikes your skin, your body begins to produce vitamin D. But hold on, there’s more: how much you earn will be determined by a whole battery of factors your color, your age, and where you reside. Dark-skinned people possess more melanin, a sun-block protective mechanism which protects against the sun’s damage but one which renders the skin less able to synthesize vitamin D. More old age people and even those of northern latitude or restricted sunlight exposure are also at higher risk.
Vitamin D sources are limited fatty fish such as salmon and tuna, egg yolks, and fortified products such as milk, breakfast cereals, and orange juice. They also employ drugs, particularly in those who can’t obtain it from food or sun.
Who is at risk for vitamin D deficiency? All seriousness set aside, just about everyone from infancy through adulthood. But not others. Dark-skinned people have an issue with absorbing or producing sufficient vitamin D. People who cover up much of their skin for reasons of culture or religion, and those suffering from particular diseases (e.g. celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, or cystic fibrosis), will not be able to absorb or produce sufficient vitamin D. Even the over weight might come into the picture, as vitamin D is fat-soluble and will not be used by the body. Some medications, such as some steroids and some anti-seizure medications, play with vitamin D metabolism.
How does deficiency manifest in vitamin D? In adults, it is not flashy weakness, bone pain, weakness or muscle cramps, and mood changes such as depression. Sometimes, no symptoms whatsoever can occur. The effect is more severe in children. Severe deficiency causes rickets, weakening and softening of bones, bowing of legs, growth delay, and bone deformities. The same process, osteomalacia, occurs in adults, softening bones and setting the stage for fractures. Osteoporosis, with increased fracture risk, also ensues with long-term low vitamin D.
How much vitamin D your body produces from sunlight varies with skin color, age, and geography. Those with more melanin (dark skin) need more sun in order to produce the same amount of vitamin D individuals with lighter skin can produce. Older people are not good at producing vitamin D, and those further away from the equator get less UVB radiation, especially during the winter. Even lifestyle factors such as remaining indoors by day or remaining under a sunscreen for a day will restrict your vitamin D production.
Prevention and treatment of deficiency in vitamin D is typically simple. Many will need a combination of safe exposure to the sun, food vitamin D, and supplement if not possible. The recommendation is infants require 400 IU per day of vitamin D and adults typically require 600 to 800 IU, once again age-specific. If breast-feeding the infant individually, then vitamin D drops are recommended because milk is not concentrated enough. If a patient is in need of a doctor’s visit with respect to any type of medical condition, or if a patient is on medication that alters the absorption of vitamin D, then you might be prescribed more frequent dosing or follow-ups by your physician.
It is also wise to recall that, although the vitamin D supplement is safe, it can be over-dosed. It is poisonous in excess amounts and has such symptoms as nausea, vomiting, and weakness, and such disastrous complications as hypercalcemia. Be always cautious with doses and seek consultation from your physician before supplementing, particularly if there are other illnesses.
Vitamin D deficiency is widespread but preventable and treatable. If you know your risk factors and you make a few simple adjustments, you can maintain your bones and the rest of you young and fit.
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